After possibly the top two hurlers on the free agent market finding new homes quickly, teams used this weekend to shift their focus to other big-name pitchers. It all started on Friday night, when the Arizona Diamondbacks surprisingly snagged right-hander Zack Greinke with a six-year, $206 million deal.
Greinke had been seeking a deal that gives him a slightly larger annual average than what David Price is getting from Boston. Unlike Price's deal, Greinke does not have an opt-out option in his contract.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants were reportedly the top contenders for the 32-year-old, but their division rival was able to draw him in. Greinke finished second in the NL Cy Young voting last season, leading the majors with a 1.66 ERA, which is the lowest in nearly 20 years.
He opted out of the remaining three years, $71 million he had left with the Dodgers in November. Los Angeles had made an offer of five years, but the money wasn't there for Greinke. Instead, he receives the largest annual amount for a pitcher with $34.3 million per year. That exceeds Price's $31 million annual salary that he received last week.
Proof that the D-backs wanted Greinke more than anything: the $206 million deal is more than all of their signings from the past eight years combined.
Another right-hander decided to remain in the same division in the National League, as John Lackey agreed to a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Lackey had spent the past two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, but after receiving a qualifying offer from the Cards, decided to take the $32 million deal from the Cubs.
The team had reportedly been in "dialogue" with former Cub Jeff Samardzija, but this agreement put an end to any conversations between the two former partners.
The 37-year-old Lackey made 33 starts for St. Louis last season, recording a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings, the most he's thrown in a season since 2007. Chicago got a front-row view of him all season long, including during a seven shut out-inning performance in game 1 of the NLDS.
Lackey expects to fit into the rotation behind Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, with Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendriks behind. But despite this recent move, many experts believe the Cubs are far from over this winter.
The final big pitcher deal from this weekend came in San Francisco, as the Giants looked to recover from losing the Greinke sweepstakes. They turned to former Cub and White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija, awarding him with a five-year, $90 million deal, a deal that will not be formally announced until after a physical.
The 30-year-old chose the Giants over the Dodgers and Cardinals, as he joins ace Madison Bumgarner on the staff, and adds to the ace-filled NL West.
He was most recently with the White Sox since being traded there in 2014, and the baseball world expected him to be traded at the 2015 trade deadline. He gave himself one heck of a case, throwing 10 consecutive seven-inning outings heading into the deadline. After remaining in Chicago through July 31st, he went 1-8 with a 9.24 ERA over nine starts.
He posted a 4.96 ERA in his first full season in the American League, which is his highest in four years as a major league starter.
The Giants have had an injury-plagued rotation the past couple years, including to top-tier starters Tim Lincecum, Mike Leake and Matt Cain. They also lost Tim Hudson to retirement, so they turn to Samardzija to take over the top spot in the new-look rotation.
The right-hander has performed well, but does not have the record to support that, recording 13 losses in each of his four seasons. He returns to the National League looking to improve that record and help San Francisco get the pitching staff back on track.
Greinke had been seeking a deal that gives him a slightly larger annual average than what David Price is getting from Boston. Unlike Price's deal, Greinke does not have an opt-out option in his contract.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants were reportedly the top contenders for the 32-year-old, but their division rival was able to draw him in. Greinke finished second in the NL Cy Young voting last season, leading the majors with a 1.66 ERA, which is the lowest in nearly 20 years.
He opted out of the remaining three years, $71 million he had left with the Dodgers in November. Los Angeles had made an offer of five years, but the money wasn't there for Greinke. Instead, he receives the largest annual amount for a pitcher with $34.3 million per year. That exceeds Price's $31 million annual salary that he received last week.
Proof that the D-backs wanted Greinke more than anything: the $206 million deal is more than all of their signings from the past eight years combined.
Another right-hander decided to remain in the same division in the National League, as John Lackey agreed to a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Lackey had spent the past two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, but after receiving a qualifying offer from the Cards, decided to take the $32 million deal from the Cubs.
The team had reportedly been in "dialogue" with former Cub Jeff Samardzija, but this agreement put an end to any conversations between the two former partners.
The 37-year-old Lackey made 33 starts for St. Louis last season, recording a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings, the most he's thrown in a season since 2007. Chicago got a front-row view of him all season long, including during a seven shut out-inning performance in game 1 of the NLDS.
Lackey expects to fit into the rotation behind Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, with Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendriks behind. But despite this recent move, many experts believe the Cubs are far from over this winter.
The final big pitcher deal from this weekend came in San Francisco, as the Giants looked to recover from losing the Greinke sweepstakes. They turned to former Cub and White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija, awarding him with a five-year, $90 million deal, a deal that will not be formally announced until after a physical.
The 30-year-old chose the Giants over the Dodgers and Cardinals, as he joins ace Madison Bumgarner on the staff, and adds to the ace-filled NL West.
He was most recently with the White Sox since being traded there in 2014, and the baseball world expected him to be traded at the 2015 trade deadline. He gave himself one heck of a case, throwing 10 consecutive seven-inning outings heading into the deadline. After remaining in Chicago through July 31st, he went 1-8 with a 9.24 ERA over nine starts.
He posted a 4.96 ERA in his first full season in the American League, which is his highest in four years as a major league starter.
The Giants have had an injury-plagued rotation the past couple years, including to top-tier starters Tim Lincecum, Mike Leake and Matt Cain. They also lost Tim Hudson to retirement, so they turn to Samardzija to take over the top spot in the new-look rotation.
The right-hander has performed well, but does not have the record to support that, recording 13 losses in each of his four seasons. He returns to the National League looking to improve that record and help San Francisco get the pitching staff back on track.
