As he so often does, Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully said it best:

“Good is not good when better is expected.”

But what about when it comes to greatness?

Zack Greinke is a great pitcher. But when you are a great pitcher on the same team as Clayton Kershaw, you walk in the shadow of greaterness – it’s as simple as that. Yes, I realize that greaterness is not really a word, but you get the point.

When you consider that Greinke was 17-8 with a 2.71 ERA in 2014 and was seventh in the 2014 NL Cy Young award voting, you quickly realize that there before the grace of Clayton Kershaw goes a guy who would be a number one starter on nearly every other MLB team – especially when you throw in Greinke’s Rookie of the Year title, his 2009 AL Cy Young award, his two All-Star appearances, his 2013 Silver Slugger award and his 2014 Gold Glove award.

Zack Greinke is currently the best Dodger pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw and stands to receive a significant pay raise in 2016. But will it be as a Dodger? (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

To further show Greinke’s greatness, as if it is even necessary, the 31-year-old Orlando, Florida native has a career record of 123-90 and career ERA of 3.55. And while these may not be first-ballot Hall of Fame numbers – not yet, anyway – it’s safe to say that barring a complete career meltdown, Greinke will probably receive several first-ballot votes five years after his retirement and could very well remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for several years; and who knows – he might even make it in.

There isn’t a baseball fan around who isn’t aware of Kershaw’s franchise and MLB record-setting seven-year/$215 million contract that went into effect on opening day 2014. That contract, which jumps from $4 million in 2014 to $30 million on opening day 2015 and remains the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, surpassed Greinke’s previous MLB and Dodgers record-setting six-year/$147 million contract which he signed on December 10, 2012. (Note: Greinke’s MLB record-setting contract was surpassed by Seattle’s “King” Felix Hernandez even before the 2013 season began).

But Greinke’s lofty (but well deserved) contract came with a very significant caveat – Greinke can opt out of his six-year deal after its third year, which just so happens to be this year. And although Greinke and Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi have both indicated that they do not plan to even ‘go there’ yet, there is little doubt that both are very well aware of its ramifications at this very moment. Granted, Zaidi and Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman certainly have more pressing issues on their respective agendas right now, but allowing the Greinke opt-out clause to carry into the 2015 season has to be a distraction for everyone in the Dodgers organization and would be best resolved as soon as possible. That is, of course, if Zack Greinke and his agent Casey Close even want to resolve it at all.

When you realize that star left-hander Jon Lester just signed a six-year/$155 million contract (with a $25 million option for a seventh year or a $10 million buyout) with the Cubs [that’s a guaranteed $165 million with a possible ceiling of $180 million] and that Detroit Tigers ace Max Scherzer is shooting for a $200 million contract, and that Cole Hamels, David Price and James Shields will undoubtedly soon sign for more than what Greinke received from the Dodgers in December of 2012, that opt-out clause crafted by Casey Close in Greinke’s contract was an absolute stroke of genius. Simply put, if Greinke puts up numbers this coming season that are even remotely close to the numbers he put up in the first two years with the Dodgers, he is going to get paid. And guess what? Casey Close also just so happens to be Clayton Kershaw’s agent and included an opt-out clause in his contract as well – albeit not until the conclusion of the 2018 season, but still…

In addition to being a great pitcher, Greinke is also an excellent hitter – as evidenced by his Silver Slugger award in 2013. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The point to all of this is that there has never been a better time to be a top-tier MLB starting pitcher. And while Zack Greinke is currently only the second greatest Dodger pitcher, he has and undoubted will continue to stand on his own merit – shadows notwithstanding.

Let’s just hope it’s a Dodgers uniform he is standing in come opening day 2016.