Dodgers Rumors: Giants Pushing Up Greinke’s Price?
We all knew this would be the case. Any bidding for the same players (especially one of Zack Greinke’s caliber) between division rivals as competitive as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants is going to get ugly.
While this hasn’t necessarily hit “ugly” status (though we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes) quite yet, a huge part of why Greinke’s price tag continues to elevate is because of the two teams involved.
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Joel Sherman of the New York Daily News seems to believe so.
I have heard theories the Giants, with so much money coming off their payroll this offseason and next, are comfortable spending big to get a co-ace with Madison Bumgarner. And I have heard the Giants – like with Jon Lester last offseason – have a point they will not cross and merely will stay in it to make sure their rival pays the largest amount possible.
Everyone repeat with me: I hate the Giants.
I mean, it’s totally the right thing it do: Weaken your rival by either hiking up the price of re-signing the 32-year-old ace so the back end of the contract is all the tougher to swallow or just sign said ace outright. But still… (This is me whining. It’s late).
Sherman also added an interesting tidbit about the dynamic between ownership and the baseball operations department, headed by Andrew Friedman.
I have heard theories the Dodgers, who had a record payroll in 2015, will not allow themselves to be outbid for a piece they need so badly. And I have heard the Dodgers have a breaking point and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman places great value on the compensatory draft pick Los Angeles would get if Greinke signs elsewhere.
It sounds like one faction involved (ownership) wants to keep Greinke to avoid the public relations hit associated with losing one of the franchise’s greatest pitchers ever to the hated Giants. The other faction (Friedman) is weary of handing out $30-plus million to a pitcher on the wrong side of 30.
The compensatory pick is also noteworthy. Friedman has done almost everything he could to pick up picks wherever he can, so this is always something worth keeping an eye on.
God… Just typing that last sentence hurt.
NEXT: Ownership Getting Involved in Greinke Talks
Friedman is a moron…I have never seen a draft pick win a game. And there is no guarantee a high draft pick is going to succeed in the majors. I cannot tell you how many #1 picks have never even made it to the big club. The farm system is better than it has been in years, but it has nothing to do with Friedman’s pick ups. That culture was changed when new ownership came in. Greinke is a known quality. He also is the kind of pitcher who can thrive in his later years because he is more of a cerebral pitcher than a flame thrower. Letting the Giants pilfer him from the Dodgers would be the biggest blunder of the decade. It would also cement Friedman’s place as the most hated man in Dodger land….he is not that popular as it is….
Michael Norris I don’t believe Friedman is a moron because I don’t believe Stan Kasten is a moron. I believe Mark Walters and Kasten have assembled the best front office in the game. They weren’t out to hire morons. Look, I’ve been following the Dodgers (and baseball) closely since 1958 so I think I qualify as “Old School.” But, it’s evident the game is heading “New School” and things are different now. I mean, the money alone is insane. If the bidding were to reach a point and the Dodgers backed out leaving the Jints holding a $200+ million 32-year-old pitcher in their bag that might not be such a bad thing. I believe such a contract could hobble the Giants while a draft pick (read controllable player) could become extremely valuable.There ARE other options for whoever doesn’t get Greinke. We’ve seen from experience that even a 1-2 punch as formidable as Kershaw/Greinke is no guarantee of postseason success. Dodgers could easily make playoffs with a combination of Kershaw, Cueto/Lackey/Shelby Miller, Kazmir or a combination of the above. Heck, you might be better off. Zaidi and Friedman do their homework, we may think it was a mistake to deal Dee Gordon (I love Dee Gordon) but these guys were looking for particular skill sets … you can’t say having Howie Kendrick didn’t work out … if Alex Wood pans out it starts to look pretty good. So, I’m going to sit back and watch these guys work. If things go blooey this year, it won’t be because Friedman is a moron … it’ll be because baseball is a funny, funny game.
Actually, I’ve seen LOTS of draft picks win a game. I think Kershaw was a draft pick.
PhilFountain You are right he was……but rarely the same year they are picked, and it almost always takes 3 years or more…..only guy I can think of that the Dodgers drafted and he pitched the same year was Paco Rodriguez….I think, am not sure..
PhilFountain Michael Norris You are right there, and I have been watching just a little longer than you, so I am definitely old school. I do not and never will believe in all that saber metrics stuff, and no Friedman is not really a moron..he just comes off as one to a large part of the fan base. If you do not think so, just read the posts on Dodgers.com. For most fans such as myself, this has dragged out to long. It is not so much losing Zack as it is the fans desire NOT to see him go to SF….and contrary to what a lot of people think, I think Zack is a lot like Greg Maddux, and can have a productive career after 35. He is cerebral, rather than being a heat seeking missile. I like Kasten, and know he is a solid baseball guy. But I do not care for Friedman or Zaidi at all. My choice…..
I think Zaidi and Friedman work pretty closely with Kasten and Walters. I can identify with Kasten. Here’s a guy who has been a GM, built great teams and done it year after year. Now imagine you’re in Stan’s shoes. You’ve been around the game. You’ve done it old school but you’re no dummy. You see how things are changing and you feel in your gut these young stat geeks have a take you don’t have and you want to utilize it. You have the resources to hire anybody in the world … You pick Friedman and Zaidi. They’re considered the best and the brightest in the industry. Do you hand over the keys to your car to a couple of nerds who’ve only driven an XBox? No. But maybe you make them a big part of the process. I don’t think Friedman hired Dave Roberts. I think he wanted Gabe Kapler but Kasten went with his gut and Friedman went along. If the Dodgers sign Greinke, it won’t be Friedman’s decision. It will be Walter’s. Friedman’s job is to bring educated opinions and observations to the process. If they don’t get Zack, Friedman and Zaidi will have to cobble together a rotation. I think as Dodger fans we are very lucky to have the brain trust that we have. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for two or three more seasons. If they fail, they’ll be replaced.
Base Greinkes wishful salary on performance. If he starts to fail , his salary shall too.