Zack Greinke Contract: Latest News and Rumors on Negotiations with Dodgers

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Zack Greinke in 2012, the contract included an opt-out clause after three years, which will come up at the end of 2015. There's a long time until an official decision must be made, but the right-hander sounds happy where he's at. 

According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Greinke didn't exactly give Los Angeles a glowing review but seems like he could stay:

When Greinke first signed his deal with the Dodgers, he told reporters that his main priorities were finding an organization that could compete and a nice environment for his family, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

"

The No. 1 [factor] was to have a team that could have a chance to win a World Series for several years. ... My main goal was a team that was competing each year to get a World Series [title]. Also, I looked at the organizations some, the cities -- which ones we'd be most comfortable in and which ones we'd enjoy the most. Then also what my parents kind of liked and stuff like that.

"

Greinke has lived up to his end of the bargain in two years with the Dodgers, posting a 32-12 record with a 2.68 ERA and 355 strikeouts in 380 innings. He was hit by injuries in 2013 but made over 30 starts last year for the first time since 2012. 

If Greinke remains with the Dodgers beyond 2015, he will make $77 million in the final three years of his contract, according to Spotrac. That's not a bad deal for a 31-year-old with over 1,800 innings under his belt already. If he opts out, the right-hander will be at the top of the free-agent pecking order. 

It's not a bad problem to have—though the risk of leaving more average annual money on the table does give Greinke a lot to think about over the next nine months.