Should Red Sox go after Zack Greinke?

By Tyler Mason | Jul 9, 2016

Jun 28, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

There are rumors that Zack Greinke could be on the trade block, which makes people curious if the Boston Red Sox will go after him.

Like we all know, the Boston Red Sox need help with their starting rotation. So far this season, it has been an absolute disaster despite the newly named All Star, Steven Wright, who has stayed consistent all season long. Ignoring that, the Sox need help.

With the Arizona Diamondbacks having a nightmare of a season, there have been rumors where their newly signed ace, Zack Greinke, could be available during the trade deadline due to the fact that he hasn’t been the pitcher they were planning on when they signed him.

To be honest, his numbers aren’t terrible. He is 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA. Not bad. But not worth a 6-year $206.5 million contract.

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If you’re getting paid that amount of money (if not, more *cough *cough* David Price), then you should be considered a Cy Young candidate right now.

Also, his numbers right now aren’t speaking for how he has done throughout the entire season. In the first two months of the 2016 season, Greinke had an ERA of 4.71. If it wasn’t for a stellar June, he would still be looked at as a complete failure of a signing. Also, don’t let the record fool you. Greinke got a W once in April while letting up 7 earned runs.

So with the Diamondbacks being 16 games back out of first place in the NL West, you would have to assume they would be sellers during the trade deadline.

And with there being rumors of Greinke being dealt, do you think the Red Sox should go after him during the deadline?

I’ll keep the answer short and sweet for the readers.

NO.

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First of all, Greinke just got placed on the DL with an oblique strain, so that’s one sign why they shouldn’t try to get him.

Secondly, he is an absolute head case. In his career, he has had problems pitching for big market teams due to anxiety issues. Nothing to joke about, but he simply can’t pitch well when there is a lot of pressure on him. With that being said, how do you think he will perform if he were to pitch for the Red Sox? It would be a tornado of problems if he were to come here and try to handle the Boston media.

In his early years, we saw success from Greinke when he played for garbage teams like Kansas City and Milwaukee when there wasn’t a lot of pressure on him.

People then thought he overcame his problems after the 2015 season when he finished second in the Cy Young voting with a 19-3 record and a 1.66 ERA for the highly noticed L.A. Dodgers.

Thinking his problems were behind him, he went to sign the mega deal with Arizona and absolutely choked for the first 2 months of the season.

So what’s the problem now? It seems like the perfect situation where the media would never eat him alive because let’s be honest here, it’s the Diamondbacks.

Again, I will keep the answer short and simple for you.

It’s the contract.

If you signed one of the biggest contacts for a starting pitcher in MLB history, you would probably have some pressure to be successful, right? Just ask David Price.

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There’s always a reason for Greinke’s failure and Boston would just be a terrible fit for him. Also, Arizona would ask for everything the Sox have for Greinke, from the entire farm system to Price’s dog Astro.

It’s simply not worth the risk.

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