8 Teams Who Would Become Instant Favorites After a Zack Greinke Trade

The Milwaukee Brewers are fading fast in the race for the National League Central crown. They've lost seven of their last 10 games, and the amount of injuries they've suffered is going to make it very hard for them to get back in the thick of the race.

When July rolls around, it's likely that the Brewers will be looking to sell. If they are, Zack Greinke could be on the move.

Jim Bowden of ESPN.com wrote about Greinke's situation in Milwaukee. He's due to become a free agent after the season, and he and the Brewers have had a hard time coming to terms on an extension. If he and the team are still far apart and the team is out of the pennant race, Bowden thinks Greinke will be traded before the July 31 trade deadline.

The price for Greinke, according to Bowden, will be "two significant prospects and a throw-in." There are only a handful of teams that can make a deal like that, but some of them will no doubt be intrigued by the idea of dealing for Greinke, the 2009 AL Cy Young award winner.

Here's a look at eight teams that could kick the tires on Greinke and who could become instant favorites upon acquiring him.

Atlanta Braves

Last year, the Atlanta Braves won ballgames on the strength of their pitching staff.

This year, they're winning games on the strength of their offense. Though Brandon Beachy is a stud, Atlanta's starting staff as a whole is mediocre. Acquiring an additional stud for the stretch run is in the Braves' interest.

Several of Atlanta's best young players are with the big club to stay, but the Braves still have one of baseball's strongest farm systems. In recent years, general manager Frank Wren has been reluctant to trade away his best talent, especially when it comes to the organization's best pitching prospects.

However, this is something that could change this season. The Braves have a strong team that would be capable of going deep into the playoffs if one more ace was added to the starting rotation. Atlanta should be in win-now mode.

The Braves have the young talent to do business with the Brewers. And if Milwaukee is looking to get young pitching in return for Greinke, the Braves are one of the first teams Doug Melvin should talk to.

If the Braves acquire Greinke, they could line up him, Beachy and Tim Hudson in a short postseason series.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are ahead of schedule. They weren't supposed to be this good this year, but they are.

The question now is whether or not they should bring in talent at the deadline, or stand pat knowing that they're going to be thankful they didn't trade away their best young talent.

If the Orioles are still in or near first place in the AL East at the trade deadline, it's going to be very hard for them not to bring in talent for the stretch run. As it is, Baltimore general manager Dan Duquette has already told Brittney Ghiroli of MLB.com that he's actively looking to add pitching depth.

The O's certainly need pitching depth. After a strong start, their starting rotation has stumbled in May to the tune of a 5.04 ERA. Their biggest problem is their lack of a true No. 1 who can serve as a stopper.

Greinke is a guy who fits that bill quite well. The only problem is that the O's would have to give up something significant in order to get him, and that's when names like Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado start getting tossed around. Duquette would either have to part with one of them, or hope Brewers GM Doug Melvin would settle for a lesser package based around names like Zach Britton or Brian Matusz.

It may sound unlikely now, but nobody should put it past Duquette to pull the trigger on a bold deal.

Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander is doing his part, but Detroit's starting rotation is far from perfect. And with the Cleveland Indians establishing themselves as legitimate contenders in the AL Central, the Tigers are going to find themselves looking for additional weaponry at the trade deadline.

Such is the expectation around the league, anyway. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Tigers are expected to go "all in" this summer.

They'll have other needs to address beyond their starting rotation, but a prize acquisition like Greinke would definitely help put the Tigers over the top. 

The Tigers would have to surrender one or two of their young pitchers. Names like Jacob Turner and Drew Smyly will be in play, and they wouldn't hesitate to part with them if it meant acquiring a second ace to plug in behind Verlander.

Just imagine a rotation featuring Verlander, Greinke and Doug Fister. That's a rotation that could get it done in a short playoff series.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Last week, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti told the Los Angeles Times that he expects to have more financial flexibility at the trade deadline than he's used to having. He arrived at this conclusion after speaking with the team's new ownership.

Basically, the team's new management told him one thing: Go for it.

The Dodgers are in a pretty good place right now, as they're the only team in Major League Baseball with 30 wins, and they've managed to keep the good times rolling even without Matt Kemp. 

However, the team's pitching is a concern. The Dodgers have the second-best rotation ERA in baseball, but they have to know as well as anyone that Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano have overachieved.

What the Dodgers need is a second ace they can plug in behind Clayton Kershaw, and that's why they'll be interested in Greinke if he ends up on the block.

The Dodgers do not have one of baseball's stronger farm systems. Unlike a team such as the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers don't have any ultra-shiny pitching prospects that they can offer the Brewers in return for Greinke.

What the Dodgers do have, however, is quantity. Instead of offering the Brewers two "significant prospects," they could offer the Brewers three or four solid prospects, and they could sweeten the pot by adding a pitcher from their major league roster.

Miami Marlins

Miami's starting rotation got off to a pretty tough start, but it's really come around in May. Marlins starters have a 3.41 ERA this month.

This is the biggest reason why the Marlins have been able to turn things around after a disappointing April. They're an MLB-best 16-6 in May, and they've put themselves within two games of the top spot in the NL East.

Despite the fact that the Marlins have been getting great work out of their starting rotation, Bowden thinks they are going to be among the legitimate bidders for Greinke's services at the trade deadline.

Honestly, I don't see it. The only guy in Miami's rotation who comes close to being a weak link is Ricky Nolasco, and they don't have a deep farm system to dip into to make high-profile trades.

But where there's a will, there's a way. If the Marlins get a notion that they have a shot at winning the World Series, they could bring themselves to part with a couple of their best prospects, and they could further sweeten the deal by offering the Brewers the member of their starting rotation that they mean to replace (i.e. Nolasco).

If the Marlins end up with Greinke, they'll have a highly formidable rotation consisting of him, Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Carlos Zambrano and Mark Buehrle. They'll be a team nobody will want to face in a playoff series.

New York Yankees

The Yankees know they can rely on CC Sabathia.

Everyone else in their starting rotation...not so much.

The Yankees are going to get back into the thick of the AL East race. They're down now, but they've been down before and they've always managed to pick themselves up. 

But people who think this Yankees team is championship material are kidding themselves. They need a lot of upgrades, chief among them being a stud starting pitcher they can slide in behind Sabathia in their rotation.

Brian Cashman will be interested in Greinke if he becomes available, and he has the assets to go get him if he wants to. However, he would most likely have to bring himself to part with Manny Banuelos or Dellin Betances. Maybe even both of them if the Greinke bidding war is intense enough.

It would be a tough call for Cashman either way. To make a deal, he'd have to convince himself that Greinke is the missing link this Yankees team needs to win a championship this season.

He definitely couldn't hurt. Sabathia and Greinke would be a heck of a one-two punch.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have gone into something of a funk in the last couple weeks, but nobody should be too alarmed. They're still the strongest all-around team in the American League.

Texas doesn't have to worry about a thing as far as its offense is concerned, but its starting rotation is another matter. It's a strong rotation, but it lacks a tried and true No. 1 starting pitcher. The Rangers are going to need one to win the World Series this year.

In addition to having a very strong major league roster, the Rangers also have a very deep farm system. If Nolan Ryan and the Rangers brass conclude that they need to go out and get a No. 1 starting pitcher, they'll surrender some of their assets to do just that. Jurickson Profar won't be traded, but Martin Perez or Mike Olt might just get traded.

And yes, I think the Rangers will be in play for Greinke even if they sign Roy Oswalt (see ESPNDallas.com for more on that situation). The Rangers could do whatever it takes to put together a rotation capable of winning the World Series.

If that means dealing for Zack Greinke, so be it. 

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have an excellent young rotation, and that's just one thing that makes them a legitimate threat to win the AL East this year.

The Jays could use one thing, however, and that's an established starting pitcher who the young guys could look up to.

Greinke isn't exactly a grizzled veteran, but he's a guy who's won a Cy Young and pitched in a pennant race before. He'd look pretty good at the top of Toronto's young, talented rotation.

Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has more than enough assets at his disposal to make a deal for Greinke. Toronto has one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, and it's well-stocked with both position players and pitchers.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If Anthopoulos decides to make a deal for a star pitcher, he can make a better offer than any GM in baseball.

If he makes a deal for Greinke, the Jays will be able to use a three-man rotation of Greinke, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero in a short series. That's a trio that could do wonders.

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