Zack Greinke ‘confident’ he will land a historic deal

Zack Greinke and his team of agents are confident they will land a historic deal as they aim to make him the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in baseball history, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN. Bowden speculates he may even surpass the deal the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to with Cole Hamels this past July, which was for six years and $144 million.

The most expensive contract for a right-handed pitcher belongs to Matt Cain, who signed a six-year, $127.5 million extension with the San Francisco Giants this past April. Greinke is likely correct in assuming that he will get more than that, as he is every bit as good a pitcher as Cain is, and has the advantage of being a free agent.

The Hamels deal could be a reasonable target for Greinke. The Los Angeles teams are said to be the most dogged in their respective pursuits of him, and their motivations may lead to a high-stakes bidding war. The Angels are centering their entire off-season plans around retaining Greinke, as they are attempting to rebuild their rotation after the departures of Ervin Santana and Dan Haren (and possible Greinke, too). The Dodgers appear to have more money than anyone thought possible, and could be pursuing Greinke simply out of a gentleman's sense of sport. Greinke could certainly be useful to them though, as he could pair with Clayton Kershaw to form a dominant top of the rotation.