Zack Greinke Reunites with Royals on Reported 1-Year, $13M Contract

After more than a decade apart, Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals are reuniting.

Kansas City announced Wednesday that it had signed him to a one-year contract. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the pact is worth $13 million with $2 million available in innings bonuses.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the deal.

Greinke, 38, previously spent seven seasons with the Royals after being drafted by the team in the first round in 2002.

He was traded to the Houston Astros from the Arizona Diamondbacks midway through the 2019 season. He has also pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.

Greinke was part of the Astros' American League pennant win in 2019. Houston lost the World Series to the Washington Nationals in seven games. Greinke started Game 7 and was pulled with a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning after allowing a one-out solo home run to Anthony Rendon and a walk. The next batter, Howie Kendrick, hit a two-run homer off Will Harris, and the Astros lost 6-2.

A six-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove Award winner, Greinke went 11-6 in 29 starts during the 2021 regular season with 120 strikeouts and a 4.16 ERA in a team-high 171 innings.

It was Greinke's second consecutive season with an ERA over 4.00 after he went three straight years with a sub-3.25 ERA. His strikeout percentage dropped from 24.5 in 2020 to 17.2 last year, marking the first time since 2010 it was below 20.0, according to FanGraphs.

Greinke was called up to the majors in 2004, and he missed most of the 2006 season after being diagnosed with depression and social anxiety disorder. He returned in 2007 as mostly a relief pitcher before rejoining the starting rotation in 2008.

Greinke won the AL Cy Young Award in 2009, posting an MLB-best 2.16 ERA. He enjoyed the best year of his career in 2015 with the Dodgers, leading the majors with a 1.66 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while compiling a 19-3 record.

Kansas City will hope Greinke can return to form as a consistent starter near the top of its rotation. He will likely provide veteran leadership, but the Royals have more work to do if they hope to become contenders in the American League.