Insider is required to read this one, but according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the Royals intend to listen to “any and all offers” for Zack Greinke.
The Royals have a nice stockpile of top prospects, including third baseman Mike Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer and left-hander John Lamb, but the franchise will probably not be in a position to contend until a couple years from now. Meanwhile, Greinke has two years and $27 million left on his current contract.
Greinke voiced his concerns to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star back in August:
“There’s no reason for me to get real excited about it,” he said, “because the chance of more than one of them making a major impact by the time my contract is up is pretty slim.”
Because the Royals have him for two more years, they really shouldn’t have a sense of urgency to deal him, but there’s an argument to be made that he could be the most coveted pitcher available this winter. Let’s be honest, only a couple of teams will even be able to enter the bidding for Cliff Lee, so the remainder of Greinke’s contract looks like a pretty decent bargain by comparison.