*Photo from Call to the Pen*
The old horse is heading back to his roots for the twilight of his career. The Kansas City Royals and RHP Zack Greinke have agreed to a one year, $13 million deal with $2 million in bonuses, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Royals have confirmed the deal.
It's a return to the organization that drafted him with the 6th overall pick in the 2002 draft for Greinke, who spent the first 7 seasons of his career in Kansas City, before he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2011 season. The Royals had reportedly been eyeing a reunion with Greinke for multiple years, and now they've got it done.
Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore said that "It seems like over the last three or four years it’s something that, truthfully, we’ve targeted. A desire to someday bring him back. We follow everything Zack Greinke does. He started in this organization, and we have a very special appreciation for him and Emily and his family. It’s something we wanted to work hard to make happen."
Last season, with the Houston Astros, Greinke finished the regular season with a 11-6 record, with a 4.16 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, striking out 120 hitters while walking only 36, throwing 171 innings and making 29 starts and one relief appearance, and made 3 appearances in the playoffs.
In Greinke's 18 year career, he has a 219-132 record, with a 3.41 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, throwing 3,110 innings and making 488 starts and 42 relief appearances, split between 6 different teams. In the playoffs, Greinke has a 4-6 record with a 4.14 ERA, striking out 100 hitters while making 21 starts and one relief outing.
Moore said that "Our goal coming into this season was to do everything we can to build a championship-caliber pitching staff. Bringing Zack Greinke back is a big part of that as our young pitchers continue to mature and develop. To be able to add Zack into this mix with everything he’s accomplished in his career, of course he has a special place in Royals history, is a special thrill for all of us."
Greinke is joining a Royals pitching staff that includes a rotation of Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Brad Keller, and Jackson Kowar in the mix for innings, which is a lot of young talent the Royals have. Greinke will be relied upon not to just eat innings, but to help the young kids develop into quality major league arms.
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