Zack Greinke was acquired by the Brewers in a six-player trade with the Royals.
Greinke, Yunieski Betancourt and $2 million are headed to Milwaukee in exchange for outfielder Lorenzo Cain, shortstop Alcides Escobar and pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress.
"Zack Greinke is one of the top young pitchers in the game today. We are very excited to add him to our new rotation," said Brewers GM Doug Melvin. "Zack brings great physical skills and athleticism to the team and is an outstanding competitor. This trade is a credit to our scouting and player development staff as their hard work and judgment provided us the talented prospects that Kansas City will be receiving. I also appreciate the support of ownership in making this deal."
Greinke, the 2009 AL Cy Young, was the best pitcher believed to be available behind Cliff Lee, who signed with the Phillies last week.
He had limited no-trade protection in his contract, and despite signals otherwise is said to have not wanted to play in New York. The Yankees, who lost out on Lee, but need pitching, never appeared to be a serious suitor for Greinke. The Washington Nationals, on the other hand, were close to a deal for the ace, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman, but Greinke told the Royals he wouldn't accept a deal to D.C.
The 27-year-old pitcher suffered a drop-off from his stellar 2009 last year, however, going 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA after finishing 16-8 with a 2.17 ERA the year before. For his career, Greinke is 60-67 with a 3.82 ERA.
Greinke will join All-Star Yovani Gallardo at the top of the Brewers' rotation. Milwaukee also acquired Shaun Marcum earlier this offseason.
Steve Phillips breaks down both sides of the blockbuster Zack Greinke trade:
December 19 2010 Last updated at 10:32 AM ET
Zack Greinke Acquired by Brewers in 6-Player Swap
By FanHouse Staff
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Read More: Brewers Royals alcides+escobar, jake+odorizzi, jeremy+jeffress, lorenzo+cain, yuniesky+betancourt, zack+greinke, zack+greinke+trade
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Not too bad for the Royals. They even got to dump Betancourt in the process, although they had to pay more than half his salary
I saw Grienke pitch three times last year and I was not particularly impressed. Maybe switching clubs will help him. Of course, if there isn't any hitting behind him what can you expect?
You do know he is crazy
Brewers win, Royals lose bigtime.
pianomanref: You kidding? This was a trade made in Heaven for the Royals. Did you watch Lorenzo Cain play last season - he will be an all-star in two years? Odorizzi only pitched in class A but he is a great prospect. I watched him in Appleton, 15 miles from where I live. Escobar was super in his rookie year; he will only get better.
You don't know what talent you are getting if you are a Royals fan. Mark Attanasio wants to ruin the Brewers because he lives in L.A. and wants to move them, probably to Las Vegas, despite the ultimate baseball stadium he has his team playing in and the great attendance they get. It's deja vu, all over again, just like the Braves moving to Atlanta.
This trade decimates the Brewers. Lorenzo Cain is a superstar in the making (whom I've watched play most of 2010). Jake Odorizzi was only a class A player but I saw him pitch in Appleton, WI and he is going to be a solid MLB pitcher. Alcedes Escobar has already established himself as a fine prospect, having a solid 2010 season as a starting shortstop. Who is going to replace him, Craig Counsel? Get real! Here's the set-up: Mark Attanasio wants the Brewers to get so bad that he will decide to move them, despite the state-of-the-art ballpark they play in and the fine attendance they derive in a smaller market city. Sounds like deja-vu when the Braves moved to Atlanta.
The U.S. government wants to kill seniors and now the Brewer management wants to take my hometown team away again. Life wasn't as good as I deserved.
If Bentacourt can hit 16 home runs in KC just imagine how many he can hit in Milwaukee. What the brewers should consider now is who will play CF, Cory Hart or even Braun has the speed to play CF. Freeing up one of the corner outfield spot for Matt Gambel. Now Gomez could be a late defensive replacement instead of a starter. Tyrone
I went to middle school and played baseball with Zach at Conway Little League in Orlando. At school and on the field, Zach was the most popular. After all these years I never knew he went pro until about a year ago. Also, never knew about the social issues that the media reported that he had at the beginning of his pro career. I would have never guessed that considering he was the most poplular and most talked about by girls at school. Glad to see he is continuing to do as well as he did at Conway Little Leage. Congrats!
FROM K.C. TO MILWAUKEE?
IS ZACK PROGRESSING OR REGRESSING???\CANT HANDLE THE BIG STAGE, SO I GUESS HE WILL ALWAYS BE A BRIDESMAID AND NEVER A BRIDE
I sure will be glad when the Texas Ranger owners and powers that be get back from Christmas Break. They have been gone since Lee jumped to the Phillies. There may be a forty or fifty year old they can sign if they come back. I think the whole wad of money they offered Lee went back into their pockets never to see the light of day again.