According to Yahoo's Jeff Passan, the former Cy Young winner is open to accepting a trade from Kansas City to a big-market team, despite doubts from those in the baseball world that Greinke's no-trade clause would keep him from giving the green light on trades to a big market.
Boston, of course, is one of those big-market teams, but the Sox should probably stay away from the 27-year-old.
For starters, Greinke suffers from documented anxiety issues. This is obviously where most of the suspicions that he would veto a deal to big markets come from. Even if that's not the case for the clause — as Passan points out — it still should play a role in the decision-making for a team, especially the Red Sox when looking into acquiring the young ace. Greinke has dominated in Kansas City, but as everyone knows, pitching in Kansas City in June is a little bit different than pitching in Boston during a stretch run.
To speculate that coming to Boston or New York or another big market would trigger his anxiety issues could be a bit of a stretch, but it's certainly something that will be discussed by front offices pondering the idea of trading for him.
Also, pitching the AL East is obviously very different than pitching in the AL Central, where Greinke has feasted on the likes of up-and-down lineups like the Twins and the Indians throughout his career. The numbers also back that up. Greinke's numbers against AL East teams are also a bit of a red flag, to say the least.
Greinke for his career vs. AL East teams (not including Boston):
31 starts
200.2 innings pitched
8-13 record
4.57 ERA
They're not terrible numbers, but they're not great, either. His win-loss record is obviously flawed, the Royals won't be mistaken for the '37 Yankees anytime soon, but that 4.57 ERA is a bit disconcerting. After all, he did have the Royals' lineup trying to score runs for him. Again, there are worse ERA's you could have, but when you factor in how much the Royals will be asking for in exchange for Greinke, it's probably not worth it.
Speaking of what the Royals want for Greinke, the asking price is sky-high. Passan also reports that the Royals will likely be seeking a package comparable to that given to the Rangers in exchange for Mark Teixeria in 2007. According to the report that means one major-league ready player and multiple prospects.
What does that mean for the Red Sox? Well, it probably means that the conversation would start with Clay Buchholz or at the very least, Jacoby Ellsbury. From there, you'd have to think prospects like Casey Kelly, Lars Anderson, Jose Iglesias and/or Felix Doubront might be on a short list for GM Dayton Moore and the Royals. With Greinke's aforementioned success — or lack thereof — against AL East teams, is he really a guy worth mortgaging the future for?
If the Red Sox are willing to part ways with prospects, they'd surely be better-suited to do so for a power hitter among the likes of Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder at this point. The starting rotation struggled at times in 2010, but the bigger need for this team is it currently stands is in the middle of the lineup.
Of course, the Red Sox would have to at least kick the tires on Greinke. He won the 2009 Cy Young for a reason. He can dominate for stretches at a time, and there is merit to the old adage that you can never have too much pitching. If Greinke's open to big-market teams now, that obviously brings the Yankees into play, as well. And if Greinke were to move to a team like, say, the Blue Jays who are loaded with good young pitching and a smart, pitching-oriented manager in John Farrell, that may cause some concern in Boston.
But the fact remains that Greinke has never performed in a big market and he hasn't performed well in the few chances he's gotten against those teams. KC's asking price will be high and the Sox simply have bigger needs at the moment. When you add everything up, making a move for Zack Greinke just doesn't make sense for the Red Sox.
If Zack Greinke signed off on coming to Boston, should the Red Sox make a move to get him? Share your thoughts below.
