One veteran pitcher could still be fetching a decent return nearly a decade-and-a-half after winning the Cy Young Award.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Thursday that Kansas City Royals righty Zack Greinke is a name to watch ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Morosi adds that the Royals are not presently engaged in trade talks for Greinke but notes that Greinke is on an expiring deal and has proven durable thus far this season.
The 39-year-old Greinke, a six-time All-Star who was the AL Cy Young winner back in 2009, doesn’t have great peripherals this year. He is just 1-6 with a 4.65 ERA. But Greinke’s strikeout numbers are slowly creeping back up, and he has been good for 14 starts and 71.2 total innings pitched so far.
The 18-50 Royals are obviously going nowhere this season, so perhaps they are hoping that Greinke can be flipped for a nice prospect. Greinke is still looking for his first World Series ring in 20 career seasons (he was on the Houston Astros between their two titles). The local Kansas City fans might want Greinke (and his wacky ways) to stick around just for the vibes though.
