There is no argument – Zack Greinke is a strange dude.

It’s not that he is a bad teammate or an inferior player, quite the contrary, in fact. One need look at his accolades over his 15-year potential Hall of Fame Major League career to see this; accolades that include five All-Star Game appearances, five Gold Gloves, two ERA titles, one Silver Slugger, and one Cy Young Award.

As for that good teammate thing, it is abundantly obvious that whenever the 35-year-old Orlando, Florida native and 2002 first round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals (out of Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida) is on the mound, his teammate are abundantly confident in him. He is also extremely polite with his teammates and with the media in the clubhouse and never backs away from an interview, even after a rough outing. The caveat is that you better not ask him a question that you are not 100 percent prepared to receive a brutally honest answer to.

In his three seasons with the Dodgers, Greinke post a remarkable 51-15 record and minuscule 2.30 ERA, good enough to land an opt-out clause six-year / $206.5 million contract with the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

That ‘strange dude’ thing comes from his extreme quietness, his extreme analytical approach to the game (and life in general), and his extremely stoic personality than many perceive as being standoffish.

But make no mistake about it, Zack Greinke is very smart. We’re talking Mensa smart here. He is also extremely business-oriented. In other words, his approach to the game, although very competitive, is pretty much “What’s in it for me?”

When the Dodgers signed Greinke as a free agent on December 10, 2012, they did so to the tune of a six years and $147 million as follows:

• 2013 – $17 million
• 2014 – $24 million
• 2015 – $23 million
• 2016 – $24 million
• 2017 – $23 million
• 2018 $24 million
• $12 million signing bonus

The contract also included something that was, to that point, relatively new to the baseball world, an “opt-out clause” following the 2015 season.

Much to the disappointment to Dodger fans everywhere, Zack Greinke did exactly that.

I mean, who in their right mind would walk away from $71 million dollars, right?

A Mensa smart Zack Greinke, that’s who.

Greinke, or more so his agent Casey Close (who also represents Dodgers future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw) managed to land a six-year / $206.5 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks for his client that will take him through the 2021 / age-37 season. That contract includes a (wait for it…) opt-out clause following the 2018 season … as in right now. And even though Greinke has given no indication that he plans to again opt-out, the Dbacks are actively – very actively – shopping him and the $95.5 million remaining on his current contract.

Like the ‘Girl with the Curl,‘ when Greinke is good, he is very good indeed, but when he is bad – which isn’t often – he can be horrid. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

But wait, there’s more!

Although it is a mystery as to how it remained under the radar until just last week, Greinke’s Casey Close-authored contract also includes a 15-team no-trade clause … Fifteen teams.

What this means is that even if Dbacks president of baseball operations Derrick Hall and general manager Mike Hazen somehow find a team willing to take on the $95.5 million remaining on Greinke’s current contract, the hard-throwing right-hander with a career 187-118 record and career 3.39 ERA can block the trade if it is to (alphabetically):

• Baltimore Orioles
• Boston Red Sox
• Cincinnati Reds
• Colorado Rockies
• Detroit Tigers
• Los Angeles Angels
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Minnesota Twins
• New York Yankees
• Oakland Athletics
• Philadelphia Phillies
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants
• St. Louis Cardinals
• Toronto Blue Jays

Obviously, there are several teams on this list that Greinke would probably waive his no-trade clause to, but it begs to ask the burning question “What were the Diamondbacks thinking when they agreed to this contract?”

The one team on this list that is not a surprise are the Dodgers. To be brutally honest, even if the Dodgers were not on it, it would be a cold day in Hell before they would even remotely consider re-signing Greinke after he flat out bailed on them following the 2015 season, leaving Dodger fans feeling scorned and, quite frankly, pissed off.

Then again, one has to wonder what might have happened had Greinke still been in a Dodger uniform for the 2017 and 2018 World Series.

Where will Zack Greinke be pitching in 2019?

Stay tuned…