Zack Greinke close to hiring an agent.....

[miggs721]

via twitter from Jim Bowden,

 

Casey Close the front runner to represent Zack Greinke according to a source and Greinke's decision expected prior to opening day

[Oldcity]

Honestly thought this was an April Fool's joke. Had to actually check to make sure it was legit. Exciting...

[Invader3K]

My bet is that the Brewers will negotiate quickly with whomever he selects, and there will be an extension announcement within the first six weeks or so of the season.

[jerichoholicninja]

Isn't/wasn't that Ben Sheets' agent when he signed a team friendly extension?

[Oldcity]

Yeah... That sounds right.

[splitterpfj]

Close represents Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard, and was just recently hired by Mark Teixeira, following Teixeira's split with Scott Boras.

[logan82]

Doesn't mean he is going to sign a contract with us. It could just mean he doesn't want to think about trying to get an agent during the season or just after.

 

I hope he signs an extension with us because I think with Gallardo and Greinke along with our locked up position players we would be a good team for at least the next few years.

[miggs721]

Yes, this was Sheeters agent, and I think we get a deal done soon....Our rotation will be nasty!!!!

[KCBrewerfan34]

Not to poo poo this but I swear Tim Allen said on the radio Friday or yesterday he didn't expect us to get a deal done w/ Greinke, which kind of took me by surprise. The potential of losing Greinke, Marcum and not picking up Wolf's option would put us right back where we were before last season. Not a good premise.

 

5 years $80 million good enough?

[miggs721]

I think its more like 5 at 85, also, If Marcum just walks after this season, I know its been said, but that trade in the long run was not one of Dougs better moves

[Oldcity]

I'd be happy with anything under $100 million. Not sure if he'd do that, though.

[Warning Track Power]

I really want an extension with ZG to get done but he will likely best those 5 years $85 million offers on the FA market. Unfortunately, I don't see the Brewers being able to go much higher than that and if he wants much more, then he will be an ex-Brewer in 2013.

[burnzy24]

I think this hire signals that Greinke and the Brewers have a decent chance of coming to an agreement. If not, why hire an agent now, right before the start of the season. If the talks weren't close then Zack would have waited until closer to the season's end to chose an agent. He has gotten along for the last year without one, why else hire at this time unless he has a reason to need their services.

[RockCoCougars]

I've said this before, but my gut says that it takes nine figures or very close to it to get a deal done. If this is true about a new agent, I'd guess that there is a very short window to get an extension done. Most marquee free agents to be don't do extensions after the season starts.

[Mass Haas]

Close is Jerry Hairston's agent -- other than Sheets, don't see other prior Brewer connections, although there may have been a few.

[rickh150]

5 years for 100 million... basically what we offered CC.

[brettac1]

He was Sexson's agent, as well, IIRC.

[3and2Fastball]

Wish I could find the link, but I swear I read a quote from Greinke a few weeks ago or a month ago where he said he wouldn't hire an agent until there was an actual contract he was about to sign

[DHonks]

I really want a deal to get done with Greinke so that we can start to figure out the rest of the rotation. Marcum wants to stay, but we don't know what kind of deal he is willing to take. Wolf--despite what many fans think--has been very good. And we should have 1 of Peralta, Rogers, Scarpetta, Fiers, and Rivas ready in 2013 for a rotation spot.

[TooLiveBrew]

Wish I could find the link, but I swear I read a quote from Greinke a few weeks ago or a month ago where he said he wouldn't hire an agent until there was an actual contract he was about to sign

Don't you... just don't you even dare go getting my hopes up like this!

[3and2Fastball]

Wolf--despite what many fans think--has been very good.

 

I'm struggling to think of a better #4 pitcher in all of MLB than Randy Wolf. There may be one, but Wolf is right on up there.

[brewmann04]

I agree got a bargain with Wolf.

[monty57]

Wish I could find the link, but I swear I read a quote from Greinke a few weeks ago or a month ago where he said he wouldn't hire an agent until there was an actual contract he was about to sign

Don't you... just don't you even dare go getting my hopes up like this!

 

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120308&content_id=27120598&vkey=news_mil&c_id=mil

 

When they did get to it, Greinke politely said the same thing he told reporters following his first Cactus League start on Thursday: He doesn't plan to hire an agent until the end of the season.

 

"That's been the plan the whole time," Greinke said. "Nothing has changed."

 

Greinke did leave the door wide open to altering the schedule if he and the Brewers engage in talks about a contract extension. He genuinely likes pitching in a Brewers uniform, calls principal owner Mark Attanasio "the best owner out there," and says he enjoys small-market Milwaukee.

[TheCrew07]

I agree got a bargain with Wolf.

 

In what sense is Wolf a bargain? Gallardo's contract would be the definition of a bargain while Wolf took the most money he could find when he came to Milwaukee. Wolf has been better than I expected him to be, in fact I'd qualify his success as everything I could have hoped when he signed. However he's still being paid exactly what his production is worth, we aren't getting him at a discount. Yes the cost of pitching continues to escalate but it's important to keep Wolf's contract in the context of the time when it was signed. He certainly hasn't imploded like Looper, Suppan, and Davis but again, that doesn't mean he's a bargain.

 

He's a 4th starter on our team and my gut feeling would be that he's one of the highest paid 4th starters in baseball, I don't have time to go research rotations and prove my point, but last time I looked very few teams had a 4th starter making the money Wolf is. If Narvy falters this season there's a realistic chance one of the talented youngsters comes up and pushes Wolf to a 5th starter. Wolf has been very solid, but he's not a bargain by any measure.

 

If it takes $100 million or more to lock up Greinke count me out. Physically he's been so been healthy that the odds are beginning to stack heavily against him making it through this next contract without a significant arm injury. With pitching it's not of a matter of "if" a pitcher is going to get hurt, it's "when".

[Oldcity]

So would you rather sign a guy who's had injuries because he's "used up his share of injuries, so he's more likely to be healthy?"

 

Health/durability is something of a skill. His health makes him a better bet than most pitchers to live up to that type of salary.

 

$100 mil for 5 years is a fair deal for the Brewers. If he reaches free agency, I imagine he'll get more like 7 years/$150 million.