MLB trade rumors: Diamondbacks dealing Zack Greinke? Yankees face ‘$100 million question’

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is shopping for starting pitching. The Arizona Diamondbacks are willing to trade ace right-hander Zack Greinke. Would he be a fit in New York? Or is Cashman better off chasing free agents Patrick Corbin, J.A. Happ, Dallas Keuchel and Nathan Eovaldi?

The Arizona Diamondbacks are bracing for the loss of left-hander Patrick Corbin, who’s one of the hot pitchers on the free agent market.

While Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is expected to take a look at Corbin as he tries to upgrade the starting rotation for 2019, perhaps he should also place a call to Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen.

That’s because The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Diamondbacks are willing to move ace Zack Greinke.

He’s 35, placing him far outside baseball’s circle of trust. His average fastball velocity each of the past two seasons was below 91 mph, a decrease of nearly 2 mph from 2016. But reduce the financial burden — as the Arizona Diamondbacks are willing to do for a prospective trade partner — and right-hander Zack Greinke might be the second-most-attractive starting pitcher available, behind only his teammate, free-agent lefty Patrick Corbin.

Greinke’s 3.21 ERA ranked 10th in the National League last season. His walk rate ranked second, and his hit rate and strikeout rate also were in the top 15. He threw 207 2/3 innings, the fourth-highest total in the NL and his second-highest since 2012. Take a broader view, and his ERA-plus during his three seasons in Arizona ranks eighth in the majors among those with a minimum 500 innings.

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Now for the $100 million question — $104.5 million over the next three years, to be precise, which is the remaining guarantee to Greinke, including annual $3 million installments of his signing bonus: How much money must the D-Backs include in a trade to interest prospective suitors and produce even a modest return?

Club officials have not said definitively they want to move Greinke, but the team clearly is entering a transition. Corbin and center fielder A.J. Pollock are free agents, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who is scheduled to hit the open market after next season, is available by trade.

Greinke’s average salary over the next three seasons is $34.8 million. He also will receive a $2 million assignment bonus if he’s traded, and he can block deals to 15 clubs. The Rangers and D-Backs reportedly discussed a Greinke deal last offseason, in which the D-Backs would have taken back the contract of outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. That’s one way to defray the cost. Straight cash is another.

Teams surely would grow interested if the D-Backs included enough money to bring Greinke down to, say, the range of $20 million to $25 million annually. The D-Backs then could make this case: “Which pitcher would you rather have: Greinke for three years or a free agent such as Dallas Keuchel at a comparable salary for five?”

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Cashman is flush with cash to spend after getting the Yankees under the luxury tax in 2018. But with the Yankees also looking at Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, it would stand to reason Cashman wouldn’t be interested in Greinke unless the Diamondbacks pick up a large portion of the contract.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.