Seattle Mariners Trade Rumors: Zack Greinke The Answer?
Seattle Mariners trade rumors suggest the team is still looking for starting pitching. Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto pushed hard to sign Shohei Ohtani this offseason, but the team came up short in that quest. With a number of big names still available in free agency, like Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish, it’s possible that the Mariners could simply look to sign one. But recent MLB trade rumors suggest that the Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to dump the salary of starting pitcher Zack Greinke. Could he be a good fit in Seattle?
A report by MLB.com stated that Arizona and the Texas Rangers were involved in trade talks that would swap Greinke for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. It would boil down to a salary dump by the Diamondbacks in order to address other holes that the team has on the roster. Choo is expendable for the Rangers, and the team is rumored to be sending him back in order to soften the blow of taking on Greinke’s salary. If the reports are true that Arizona is simply looking to shed salary, this could be an opening for teams in need of starting pitching.
Zack Greinke’s contract has four years and $138.5 million left on it. Over those four seasons, he would earn roughly $35 million each year, which is why the Arizona Diamondbacks keep coming up in MLB trade rumors. Moving his salary could help the team address a number of offseason needs, even though it would hurt the starting rotation. That opens the door for a team like the Mariners to walk right through it.
#Mariners acquire RHP Shawn Armstrong from Cleveland in exchange for international slot money. Seattle’s 40-man roster is now at 38 players.
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— MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) December 13, 2017
So what would it take for Seattle Mariners trade rumors to lead to an acquisition of former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke? If Jerry Dipoto offered to take on the full salary, the Arizona Diamondbacks might not expect much in exchange. It would be a situation very similar to what just happened with the Giancarlo Stanton trade. The Miami Marlins were willing to take back lower-level prospects in exchange for the New York Yankees absorbing most of his long-term contract.
During the 2017 MLB season, Greinke made 32 starts for the Diamondbacks, notching a 17-7 record and 202 1/3 innings of work. Greinke had a 3.20 ERA, 1.072 WHIP, and 215 strikeouts as he made the National League All-Star team. He also won his fourth-straight Gold Glove Award. It was a nice rebound from the 4.37 ERA and 1.273 WHIP he had during the previous season. He will enter the 2018 MLB season as a 34-year-old starting pitcher who could help out any contending team around the league.
While there has been no official indication that the Seattle Mariners are trying to acquire Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks, he could certainly fill a hole at the front of the starting rotation. Is it time for the Mariners to overpay to acquire an ace to lead the team back to the playoffs for the first time in years?
