MLB Free Agency: 5 potential landing spots for Zack Greinke

October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) reacts after New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy (28) steals third in the fourth inning in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

San Francisco Giants

Zack Greinke has loved life so far in the National League, as any pitcher should, and he may not be ready to give up on that just yet. Who could blame him? In five seasons in the NL, split between Los Angeles and Milwaukee, Greinke is 76-24 with a 2.75 ERA, a 2.91 FIP, and a 8.8 K/9 mark.

There are limited suitors in the National League that may be willing to sink a six-year deal into a 32-year-old pitcher with over 2000 innings already on his right arm. However, the Dodgers aren’t likely to be the only bidders either.

The rival San Francisco Giants have a need for some pitching help in 2016. The team’s staff was depleted by injuries in 2015 and will need to replace both Tim Lincecum and Tim Hudson next season. That’s a combined $30 million worth of salary off the books between the two pitchers, and with rookie Chris Heston collecting the league minimum, that’s plenty of room for the Giants to go after Greinke.

While the Giants still ranked 9th in baseball with a team ERA of 3.72 and 7th with a .246 batting average against, Greinke’s ability to generate low-impact contact (26.6% hard-hit in 2015) would be a perfect addition to a team built on pitching.

That all said, while the Giants would love to add a pitcher of Greinke’s caliber, they are more likely to explore the secondary market (Mike Leake, Wei-Yin Chen, etc.). The team will want to add more depth to their line-up before maxing out on one pitcher.

Next: Can we say American League East?

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