Grienke Traded to Brewers

On the first Friday night of last season, the Kansas City Royals held a pregame ceremony to present Zack Greinke with his 2009 American League Cy Young Award. The team’s prior winners, the retired right-handers David Cone and Bret Saberhagen, showed up to honor him, all three aces dressed in official team warm-up jackets. Greinke was treated as a king among Royals, with gifts including a specially made Cy Young ring, a set of golf clubs, a framed jersey and lineup card, and the pitcher’s rubber and home plate from Kauffman Stadium. His father received a watch, his wife and mother a Cy Young pendant.

Greinke smiled to the crowd and gave a little wave. But he did not say a word, and embarked on an ordinary season in which he seemed to struggle for motivation.
The Royals nurtured Greinke for nine professional seasons, and they had learned not to push him or expect too many social graces. He had left the game for almost a full year, in 2006, and is under medication for social anxiety disorder.
But that did not excuse the snub of last April, which deeply offended some in the organization. It was not the reason the Royals traded Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers in a six-player deal Sunday, but it symbolized a relationship that had run its course.
Greinke acknowledged that on Sunday by waiving his no-trade clause without asking for anything in return. The Brewers also received shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt while sending four young players to the Royals: shortstop Alcides Escobar, center fielder Lorenzo Cain, reliever Jeremy Jeffress and the Class A starter Jake Odorizzi.
“We would love to be sitting here discussing a long-term contract with Zack Greinke,” Royals General Manager Dayton Moore said on a conference call from Kansas City. “You want to hold onto your best players forever. That’s a formula for winning championships as well.
“But there has to be a willing partner to go forward with that, and we actually went down that trail and discussed that trail with Zack, long term, and it was apparent that wasn’t something that he wanted to do. Therefore, we had to maximize his value and get players in return that blend in with what we have.”
The Royals have finished last or next to last in the American League Central in all seven of Greinke’s major league seasons. He has two years and $27 million remaining on his contract, and the Royals feared that Greinke could leave just as a celebrated prospect group started making an impact in 2012.
For the Brewers, the trade improves their chance to win while they still have their slugging first baseman, Prince Fielder, who can be a free agent after the 2011 season. Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, almost always takes his players to the open market, and the Brewers would seem unlikely to outbid other teams.
Greinke is the second top pitcher the Brewers have acquired this month, joining the right-hander Shaun Marcum, who started last opening day for the Toronto Blue Jays. Marcum, who was acquired for the infield prospect Brett Lawrie, was 13-8 with a 3.64 earned run average last season.