Angels Looking Toward Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse

Right hander Zack Greinke may wind up getting signed before these Winter Meetings are over and, according to Jon Heyman, the Los Angeles Angels, who have been in hot pusuit, may be moving on to secondary targets.

Oct 17, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse (26) throws to a San Francisco Giants batter during the first inning of game three of the 2012 NLCS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dilip Vishwanat/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

With the Dodgers and their unlimited payroll in the mix for Greinke, the Angels were a long shot to keep their prized free agent. It could be, however, that the price on fellow right handers Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse aren’t exactly appealing either.

Sanchez is reportedly looking for six years and $15 million per year and while we haven’t heard the kind of demands Lohse may have, his numbers stack up beautifully versus those of Greinke, especially over the past two seasons when it’s been Lohse, not Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright, that has been the ace of the St. Louis staff.

The Angels would love to be able to seal a contract with either of these two before Greinke signs, but that’s unlikely to happen. Once Greinke gets his deal, and it could be record-setting, the three or four teams that had been chasing him and miss out will probably all turn to the likes of Lohse and Sanchez for their plan-B, which will only drive up prices on both starters.

Remember, it’s not just the Dodgers who suddenly have new money. Every team in the league is getting twice as much in national television revenue now as well. There is money there for every club that didn’t exist before. Just because a team hasn’t traditionally spent no longer means they cannot.

The trickle-down effect won’t stop there, either. Ryan Demspter become a more attractive option as the names come off the board, as does the idea of trading for a starter such as Gavin Floyd of the White Sox or James Shields or others from Tampa Bay.

Greinke not only holds the keys to his own future, but also the fortunes of the rest of the starting pitching market. The way things look, there could be quite a few guys getting paid a lot more than most people will think those guys are worth.

Welcome to the new economics of baseball.