MLBBy Derek Harvey on

News is breaking that Zack Greinke has finally made his choice as to which team he’ll sign with. It’s long been assumed he would sign back with the Dodgers. Then as the final decision got closer the Giants emerged as strong contenders. So tonight it came as no surprise when Ken Rosenthal tweeted this:

And by no surprise, I mean the biggest surprise of the winter by a country mile. Rosenthal had tweeted earlier in the day that the D-Backs were “pursuing” Greinke which was met with a collective internet chuckle. They couldn’t be seriously pursuing him we all thought.

Clearly, no one knows what the Diamondbacks are thinking. (And no, I’m not referencing their ridiculous new uniforms.) Arizona had tried to land Johnny Cueto a week ago, but their $120 million offer was rebuffed. So getting a frontline starter was obviously a top priority for them.

And where Cueto was a low-end No. 2 starter at best, Zack Greinke is a true No. 1. He made 32 starts for the Dodgers in 2015, throwing 222.2 innings with a 1.66 ERA and 2.76 FIP. He was a finalist for the Cy Young Award and likely would have won in just about any other season.

Greinke was said to be looking for a higher average annual salary than fellow ace David Price received and five or six years in a contract. It’s also been reported the Dodgers offer was for five years and with a $31 million AAV. The Diamondbacks’ deal is a reported six-year, $195 million agreement in present-day value. That’s an AAV of $32.5 million. So he gets both the extra year and will be paid more than Price, who will make $31 million over the next seven years with the Red Sox.

It’s shocking to see the D-Backs spend as much just a year after they essentially sold pitching prospect Touki Toussaint for salary relief from Bronson Arroyo. Though the ream did recently sign a mega TV deal, so money shouldn’t be an issue.

Now Arizona has a legitimate ace to lead their younger mid-rotation types. Robbie Ray and Patrick Corbin are solid arms. Rubby de la Rosa and Chase Anderson are acceptable 4/5 starters. As is, this isn’t the best rotation in baseball, but it’s not bad by any means.

Signing Greinke gives the D-Backs have a solid rotation to go along with veteran superstar Paul Goldschmidt and perhaps blossoming superstar A.J. Pollock. Those two position players form a solid core along with Jake Lamb, Yasmany Tomas, and David Peralta. At this point, it might be possible that Arizona is the second best team in the NL West.

The D-Backs still have other holes to address, mainly in the middle infield and bullpen. Though they might benefit more from bolstering the back of their rotation, and are still reportedly interested in Mike Leake. After spending so much to land Zack Greinke, Arizona really should go all out to address those needs. The Winter Meetings begin on Sunday and we might be in store for a very active week from the Diamondbacks.

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