Zack Greinke Trade Rumors: D-backs Believe SP Fetches Better Value at Deadline

The Arizona Diamondbacks already traded slugger Paul Goldschmidt this offseason, but don't expect them to ship away pitcher Zack Greinke prior to the 2019 campaign.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the National League West squad thinks it will receive better trade offers for Greinke prior to the trade deadline than it will during the winter. That suggests Arizona will hold on to him for the time being in an effort to drive up the bidding and eventual return package as contenders look to bolster their starting rotations come July.

Greinke isn't set for unrestricted free agency until 2022, but Arizona signaled rebuilding mode by trading Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals. Moving Greinke would allow the Cards to receive young assets to accelerate said rebuild and move his contract off the books.

The right-hander is one of the best pitchers of his generation as the 2009 American League Cy Young winner on the Kansas City Royals, a five-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glover and a two-time ERA title holder.

He was also arguably the best pitcher in baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2013 through 2015 and posted a sparkling 1.66 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in his final year with the team. Arizona then signed him to the six-year deal he is halfway through, and it appeared as if it were a troubling investment when he tallied a 4.37 ERA in 2016.

However, he bounced back in each of the last two seasons and finished the 2018 campaign with a 3.21 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 199 strikeouts in 207.2 innings.

Greinke is 35 years old, but his performance last season suggests he still has plenty in the tank. Contenders at the trade deadline can also take solace knowing acquiring him would add a veteran and playoff-tested presence to the team, seeing how he has 11 postseason starts on his resume.

There will surely be teams in need of starting pitchers come late July, and the Diamondbacks believe that will lead to a better market than the one this offseason.