Zack Greinke Traded to the Brewers

by
December 19, 2010

Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt have been traded to the Brewers for Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jake Odorizzi, and Jeremy Jeffress. Royals fans have been bracing for a trade since Friday when Dayton Moore went on a local Kansas City radio station and stated that Zack was not happy and the Royals were looking to trade him. In the same interview, Dayton stated that he was looking for right handed center fielder. He looks like he got his man in Lorenzo Cain.

Almost everyone has expected the Royals to trade Greinke this off season, but not particularly to the Brewers. Greinke is only signed for two more seasons and the Royals #1 rated minor league system will not have many of its pieces in place on the major league team until at least 2012. At that point, Zack will be in the final year of his contract and heading on to richer pastures.

The Royal’s management got the help they desired up the middle. Escobar should be a small improvement at shortstop for the Royals over Betancourt. Their hitting is similar (they don’t), but Escobar would be an improvement in the field.

What seemed like an off season where the Brewers looked to be rebuilding, they are now reloading to make a run at the NL Central crown. The Brewers got an ace to add to their already improved pitching staff after also adding Shaun Marcum this off season. I am not sure that Greinke will be enough to put them over the top, but it sure will help.

There had been many Greinke trade rumors this off season, but I could not remember one about him going to the Brewers. The trade definitely adjusts the balance of power in the NL Central and probably puts the Royals in line for 100 plus losses for 2011.





 

Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.

59 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Spaldingballs
13 years ago

Is there anything that could say acquiring what you need over high upside is more valuable in terms of prospects? As Drabek and Snider were the asking price, and the they may have as much upside as anyone in baseball, but the Brewers package is nowhere near that, while giving them what they need. Also, has their ever been a team in history with as many high upside prospects (1 at almost each position) as the Royals do now?

-1
sbmke
13 years ago
Reply to  Spaldingballs

Snider and Drabek was a pipe dream on the part of the Royals.

As a Brewers fan, this smarts in terms of quantity. Folks here would still like to think Escobar will pan out (despite no real evidence from last season) and that Cain is a budding star (a case of small-sampl-itis based on his quick acclimation to the bigs post call up last year.). Others lament the loss of Jake O – but none have yet acknowledged that the Brewers have no recent record (outside Gallardo and Sheets) of getting a SP prospect from the low minors to the show. Many young starters before have washed out on the Crew in spectacular fashion.

All in all, this looks like a good deal for the Brewers. A proven performer with Cy Young upside for a bucket full of potential. With Fielder on the way out and other core guys starting to get expensive, the time is now for the Brewers.

Now all they need is someone for Greinke to throw to.

0