You know, something's bothered me all season. Zack Greinke, Kansas City's ace, is truly a great pitcher. Even though he has an 8-11 record, his ERA is 3.87, which isn't terrible, but his 1.22 WHIP helps to paint a slightly different picture. Either way, his records could be a lot better if (stay with me, now) he played with nearly any other team in the major leagues.
Now, I'm not suggesting this team simply because they're my favorite team, but I can't be the only one who thinks Zacky boy would look pretty good in pinstripes. It would sure give New York a great opportunity to get someone like Vazquez or Burnett and their lack of production out of town. And as far as the run support Greinke so desperately needs in his games, he's much more likely to get the win with a lineup of A-Rod, Robbie Cano, and Teixeira behind him, as opposed to major Royals superstars like Yuniesky Betancourt or Wilson Betemit (who, sadly, are probably the two best offensive players on that team right now). If the Yanks could get rid of at least one of the two pitchers I named and reserve a spot in the rotation for Greinke, that already-potent lineup of starters becomes so much more dominant. Sabathia, Pettitte, Greinke...it has a nice ring to it. Of course, there are plenty of good teams Greinke could go to in which he'd be a regular Curt Schilling. Maybe it's time he spent some time in the pitcher-friendly National League. If he went to Philadelphia, it'd be a similar situation to New York: Halladay, Hamels, Greinke...sounds pretty nice as well. Or maybe he could go to a struggling team with some potential and create a possible playoff run, or at least a .500 record for the team. For example, maybe the Marlins or that other New York team could benefit from his performance. He'd fit in nicely either place, and like I said, as long as he has that crucial offensive help from his team's lineup, Greinke would be a great fit almost anywhere. It's truly a shame that he's toiling in borderline worthlessness simply because he has the misfortune of playing for what is possibly the worst baseball team in history (well, aside from any team that comes through Seattle). When Zack accepted his Cy Young award last season, he didn't put much emphasis on the team behind him as help towards his stellar performance. And, really, why should he? He's played with the Royals his entire time in the league, and that's why no one really knows just how great he could be. He's got a 58-64 career record (again, it would be better were he playing almost anywhere else) and a 3.75 overall career ERA, but his minor league stats tell a much happier story: in his time in the Royals farm system, he pitched for 2 different teams. He had a 15-4 record and an incredible 1.93 ERA. You also have to consider the fact that he's still only 26, meaning he could potentially have 10 more years in the game. He signed a 4-year contract in 2009 with Kansas City, but if he's smart, he'll try his hardest to get himself traded to a good team, not even necessarily a genuine contender right now. I would list his best options for where to go, but truly, almost any team would be lucky to have him (and, again, I selfishly think the Bombers should try and make this happen).
Speaking of options, the Cardinals are rapidly running out of them. Their recent run of losses are like a bad rash: it keeps spreading, and there seems to be little they can do to ease the burn. Luckily, like a magic bottle of calamine lotion or Gold Bond, they picked up two soothing wins out of three games against their hated Cincinnati rivals this past weekend, but it might not be enough. While Matt Holliday has been doing all he can to help (he hit a 3-run homer during Sunday's game, and was responsible for 6 of the 8 runs the Cards scored over this series), the Golden Goose Albert Pujols seems to be experiencing a shortage of eggs; he's had 1 hit in his last 20 plate appearances, a shockingly poor showing from the best player in the game today. This is, of course, not to mention the fact that the Reds' Joey Votto has all but robbed the chances of Al earning a Triple Crown this season, but he certainly hasn't helped himself lately. Could the Redbirds' problems be the pitching? Wainwright and Carpenter are still taking care of business, but without the power in their lineup, they could pitch no-hitters and still not necessarily win. It doesn't help the Cards that young upstart Colby Rasmus, only in his second year in the majors and quickly becoming a great player despite nagging injuries, has caused a bit of a distraction by requesting a trade out of St. Louis, earning him the wrath of Mr. Pujols, who released some public comments about what a lack of respect Rasmus is showing with this. Now, as I stated in an earlier post, Colby has become one of my favorite players, a happy surprise in my fantasy draft that made me become a big fan of him and his sporadic but growing production. However, if you've got a chance to play on the second-winningest team in MLB history with a player that will go down as legend as well, you've got to appreciate what you have. From what it looks like, St. Louis will be happy to let him go, meaning he most likely won't be a Card come 2011. So, I don't know about you, but I'll be keeping a closer eye on Rasmus' moves this offseason than what the Cardinals do the rest of this season; I think the former has a brighter future than the latter does in 2010.
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