All Aces: Astros get Greinke in trade with Diamondbacks
JAKE SEINER (AP Sports Writer)
The Associated PressJul 31, 2019, 9:06 PM
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Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Greinke delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
NEW YORK (AP) -- The most stunning deal done at this year's trade deadline didn't come together until the final 20 minutes, and the result is a starting rotation that's sure to be long remembered.
''We have two pitchers on our team, maybe more that are Hall of Fame-caliber,'' Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. ''And I think we have a rotation that's set up to compete in any series against any team for the rest of this year.''
Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said the trade was rushed into place in the final 20 minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline to complete deals to have players eligible for the postseason. Astros players learned about the trade at 4:07 p.m. in the visiting clubhouse in Cleveland, and Cole said there was ''a lot of hooting and hollering'' over ''getting a Hall of Fame pitcher, a craftsman.''
''We are just really shocked and ecstatic,'' Cole said.
Greinke pitched five innings earlier in the day at Yankee Stadium, giving up two runs to New York. He was pulled from the game during a rain delay, and manager Torey Lovullo interrupted Greinke watching video of the start so Hazen could inform him of the deal.
The 35-year-old Greinke left the ballpark without commenting to reporters. The trade was officially announced after 5:30 p.m., following Arizona's 7-5 loss.
The Astros won the 2017 World Series and lost the 2018 ALCS to eventual champion Boston. They loaded up again with Greinke, getting a six-time All-Star and the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA this season.
Greinke's addition gives the Astros four starting pitchers with ERAs in the top 15 in the majors this year. Verlander is fifth with a 2.73 ERA, Greinke is ninth, Cole is 11th at 2.94 and Wade Miley ranks 14th at 3.06. Verlander leads the AL in wins (14) and ERA, and Cole tops with the majors with 212 strikeouts.
Verlander is second among active players in career victories at 218 and Greinke is third at 197. Those two top the list among active pitchers for career wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference.com, with Greinke at 70 and Verlander at 68.
''If we stay healthy,'' Luhnow said, ''this team is as good as any team I've ever seen.''
There was a palpable buzz in Houston's clubhouse. Cole credited owner Jim Crane, Luhnow and the front office staff for their hard work in making the trade happen.
''What a pickup,'' Cole said. ''They nailed it. They did a magnificent job.''
Over 16 stellar seasons, Greinke has gotten something of a crabby reputation - for instance, he said last month he'd rather never throw a no-hitter because ''a bunch of nonsense comes with it.'' He was well received over four seasons in Arizona, even becoming a regular in the Diamondbacks war room during the amateur draft. The Diamondbacks raved about his clubhouse presence.
''Zack got a bad rap from places he was before, but everyone here loved him,'' Arizona reliever Archie Bradley said.
Arizona agreed to send Houston $24 million to offset much of the $74,161,290 Greinke is owed in salary plus $2 million to cover the assignment bonus he gets for being traded. The Diamondbacks pay the Astros $2 million on Nov. 1 for the assignment bonus and pay Houston $3,333,333 on Oct. 15 plus $10,333,333 each on July 1 in 2020 and 2021.
Greinke's $206.5 million, six-year contract includes a $31.5 million salary for this year - which has $10,161,290 remaining - plus $32 million in each of the next two seasons. His deal defers $10.5 million in 2019 salary and $11 million in each of the next two years, and Houston assumes responsibility for the deferred money being accrued starting Thursday.
''Houston made some big deals. They're really good. They were good before,'' Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said.
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