D-Backs Get New Pitcher For $206M, Most Expensive Deal In MLB History

Published: Friday, December 11, 2015 - 5:07pm
Audio icon Download mp3 (5.91 MB)

The Arizona Diamondbacks have introduced their newest and most expensive free agent acquisition ever.

Starting pitcher Zack Greinke met the media at Chase Field Friday after signing a six-year deal reportedly worth more than $206 million.

Greinke, who is 32 and throws with his right hand, will earn an average salary of $34.4 million per year, the highest in Major League Baseball history. But, he said he hasn’t had much time to think about what to do with all that money.

“I mean, I guess I just signed it. I don’t really know. I haven’t really thought about it in those terms. You don’t really think about oh, my contract. You just think about okay, I have the next year to go.”

Greinke won 19 games and lost three as a member of the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

The Diamondbacks have been the talk of the sport this week during baseball’s winter meetings after trading for another top-line pitcher, getting fellow all-star Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves.

These moves signal a renewed effort by the franchise to bring a World Series back to Phoenix. But why are they stepping up to the plate? And will it be worth it?

Diamondbacks General Manager Dave Stewart, himself a former all-star starting pitcher, spoke about signing the highest-paid player in baseball history and the team’s “go for broke” strategy.

The Show