October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) after he pitches the sixth inning against New York Mets in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
This year’s free agent class already featured top starting pitchers like David Price and Johnny Cueto. But after last week’s report that he would opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Zack Greinke added his name into the mix.
It would be difficult to handle a potential walk year as magnificently as Greinke did. He put together the best season of his already very impressive big league career. He went on a dominant 19-3 run over the course of 32 starts. His 1.66 ERA and 0.844 WHIP were the best among pitchers in both leagues. He posted stellar 6.0 H/9, 1.6 BB/9 and 8.1 K/9 rates in 222.2 innings.
Opting out of the remaining three years and $71 million on his deal was a no-brainer, as Greinke is sure to find a much bigger payday on the open market. But which teams might be the frontrunners to hand him that new contract?
The right-hander has consistently been one of the preeminent hurlers in baseball over his 12 seasons. Naturally, he will be one of the most coveted arms during the upcoming free agency period. Here are five clubs (in no particular order) that make sense as potential fits for the Cy Young contender.
Next: Team #1