Greinke Getting 4 Year Extension Through 2012
 

This will break in about 15 minutes, but Greinke has signed a 4 year extension with the Royals. This is great news for the Royals and hopefully a sign of things to come locking up our talent.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/break...y/1001677.html

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/new...t=.jsp&c_id=kc

That's about it isn't it?

/erection

Sweeeeeeet.......

Piss.

I had him locked in in my dynasty league b/c I figured for sure he'd go to the NL so he could hit. I'm really surprised to see he signed long-term in the AL.

Facing the pitcher's slot 3 times every start yeilds another 20 Ks or so over the course of the season, not to mention the lower ERA and WHIP as a result.

Damn you Greinke for screwing up my long-term plan.

Damn good news.

Adam Schefter is vehemently denying this.

awesome

Outstanding news.

Don't forget Peter King.

I sure hope this is true.

It would suck if doomy3 were sent to Siberia...

Cool, needs to get his head cleared though.

Huge news.

Great job Dayton Moore AND Glass family.

And the continuation of suckification.

Now let's lock up Gordon.

He might not develop into the "great" player we all wanted, but he's definitely a solid ML player, and the team needs these, too.

This is great news.

Um...

Here are his stats from last year:

Innings pitched: 202.3
ERA: 3.47
WHIP: 1.28
Ks: 183
Walks: 56

I think his head is on straight now...

Is it right to have the word erection directly above UP? Just askin'..............

and REP!

4 years, millions of dollars....it all doesn't matter to that guy. He just wants is pretty sunsets and blue skies.

The guy's ****in weird. His head is 2 screws 2 loose.

Who gives a shit? Same could be said for many star athletes.

Awesome. I thought for sure he was looking to get out of town.

As it relates to Greinke, I care about three things:

1. Velocity.
2. Control.
3. Off-speed stuff.

Oh, and pictures of Florida models that might be banging.

Fantastic! Good starters need to stay in the organization for us to win.

This is great news.

Sign me up for the last one as well please.

He was a baby when that happened. None of us were completely sane at that age. None of us.

sweet Greinke and Soria are locked up. Love it.

Now, Gordon.

I heard on the Radio today, that Hillman is working with Teahan at 2nd base?!!? wtf is that? 6'3 at 2nd doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Supporting my president and popping a boner are not mutually exclusive.

I would love this if has the range for it to work. I have wondered about Teahan at 2nd for a couple years now just because we have holes up the middle all the time it seems

Teahen should be able to prosecute for how many times the organization has ****ed around with him.

3B. 1B. RF. LF.

Now 2B? WTF?

Whatever he could have become is probably a lost cause by now.

Excellent news!

despite some questionable trades this offseason, it is good to see the orginization finally paying the players who deserve it, instead of trading them.

White Sox 2B Alexei Ramirez is 6'1". That's sort of close.

I still wish we could sign one more relatively young starter this year. I would still like to see us make a play for Ben Sheets

I believe Kent was 6'3''. Granted, Kent couldn't field his position worth a damn, so that may not be the best example.

But if you guys could get the '06 version of Teahen at 2b, he'd be worth the occasional defensive lapse. Having a 3b arm at 2b makes up for quite a bit of bad footwork on the pivot.

The Cards are considering converting Skip Schumaker to 2b, he played some SS in College. Both attempts will probably bust out, but to get some offense from a notoriously weak offensive position, these are chances worth taking.

that's kind of how I look at it. It's a big if that Teahan could get back to his 06 offensive numbers, but if he could, that would be awesome out of second base

Outstanding news!

I had begun to assume that Greinke wanted to hit FA as fast as possible, but apparently not.

You've gotta hand it to Dayton Moore - we basically just signed an ace to a 4 year deal.

Great news and rep to you.

The Royals converting people to play other positions has become sort of like the Chiefs trying to convert safeties to play corner. It's good that Teabag is a trooper, I think he'd be a lot better if they had been able to leave him at third. Hopefully Gordon is able to finally break out there.

For Greinke's sake, we better start winning otherwise he's the type that will start losing interest...

Here's the link from the Royals Homepage:

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/new...t=.jsp&c_id=kc

Me too! I think it'd be great if he could play 2B, if he can't then he's a good utility guy. He shouldn't be an everyday starter at either of the corner IF or OF positions because he doesn't hit enough.

It's the first good thing Dayton Moore has done this offseason.

****ing awesome. This winter has been so great to be a KC sports fan.

I wonder what the $$$'s are on the deal.

Excellent news.

Greinke + Looney Town = Awesomeness

Tomorrow's headline "Grienke to have tommy John surgery"

Go Steve Nebraska!!!

fixed your post

sandy kofax liked banana's

The most significant accomplishment of the off-season, IMO.

So if you figure 4/8 for his next two years of Arby, that's roughly $23 million for his first 2 years of FA eligibility (presuming $35 mil to be accurate).

If he pitches like he can for the next 2 seasons, he'd have easily bettered that. A 27 yr. old with 200 K potential goes for $18 million(ish) if he gets the right teams involved.

By a long shot.

MAJOR bargain. He would have commanded much more, IF he continues his current trend

Awesome news. A few option years would have been icing on the cake, though.

Are you a Royals fan?

No he is a fan of the pillowbiters from across the St. Louis. :D

awesome, we can trade him in 3 years in his prime!!!!111111111

While I'll object to the editorializing, the basic premise is undeniably true. I am a fan of the rightful '85 WS Champions.

I've spent the last 4 years or so trying to figure out how STL could pry Greinke away from you guys. When he was a rookie I watched him in a game where he followed up a 96 mph heater with a 59 mph curve. From then I was hooked. I was really hoping we could swap Reyes for him back when he was really having a rough go of it, I'd have throwin in Chris Duncan for good measure. After the '06 season when Duncan had 25(ish) HRs after a callup and Reyes owned Detroit in the WS, the iron seemed hot.

Instead our brain trust ruined young Anthony and shipped him off to CLE for a reliever we promptly left exposed in the Rule 5 draft. Duncan is now injured and doesn't have a place to play. Not good times.

Y'all have a keeper.

You guys won a championship two years ago and you're still bitching about '85? Neg ****ing rep, holmes.

Always good to have another Royals fan on the board.

Welcome.

Well played.

Man, spend nearly the entire post giving y'all credit and still get neg repped, ain't that a bitch.

Neyer in this article (from '04 I think) chronicles the start I saw that convinced me of this kid. Evidently my memory is a little off on the raw numbers, but the point remains. The kid flat knows how to pitch, did when he was still in his teens.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/column...rob&id=1815125

I really couldn't give a large rats ass about the rest of your players, but Greinke's just a blast to watch and a true pleasure for the purists.

**** YES!

Three years ago, I recall David Riske noticed that Greinke's fastball was sitting in low 90s, but once in awhile, he would bring high 90s heat. Riske went up to Greinke in the bullpen and told him, 'don't hold back'. If you have that kind of velocity, you can't leave it on the shelf. Use your entire arsenal to get guys out.

To be fair, what would David Riske know about utilizing high 90's heat?

Greinke's velocity seems to have gone up about 3-4 mph both in terms of top end and 'cruising speed' over the last few seasons. If his mechanics remain sound, he'll be one of the best.

How about Ben Sheets for 3 years or so?

yeah grienke doesn't need to listen to riskie. if it is 98 and it is straight it is still getting hit. I would rather see it around 92 with good movement and location. Unless that location is that one dudes back last year. Then it is ok to dial it up to 98

That's what I'm talking about.

What kind of deal do you think he'll comand?

It's looking like 2 years, $18 million with a player option (possibly vesting) for a 3rd at $10 million.

Any team in baseball with a brain in its head should have signed the guy at those figures. I'm pissed beyond words that STL hasn't.

Brewers' David Riske helped Royals pitcher Zach Greinke through struggles

By Colin Fly, AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX — David Riske spent only a year in Kansas City, but that was enough time to help a painfully shy kid who'd lost his way.

In 2004, Zack Greinke showed he had the talent to pitch - and win - in the major leagues at age 20. But a few years later, his career had become a question mark instead of the exclamation point everyone expected.

After walking out of spring training in 2006 for treatment of a social disorder, Greinke was failing as a starter for the Royals last year and was demoted to the bullpen.

Greinke's troubles reminded Riske of his childhood in suburban Seattle, when his best friend struggled with depression. So Riske, 31, went out of his way to build a bond that helped Greinke turn everything around.

"When you hear about someone like that, especially with that kind of talent, that has a little bit of an issue, it's sad - it really is," Riske said. "I just tried to help him out as much as I could."

Riske signed with Milwaukee in the offseason, but he and Greinke have maintained their friendship. They'll cross paths again later this week, when the Royals and Brewers play a pair of exhibition games in Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday.

Greinke, who may start one of those games, has had a solid spring and is expected to begin the season in the Royals' rotation - signs that his career is back on track.

Some of the credit goes to Riske, who had no idea he'd have such a profound effect.

"He reminded me of one of my best friends growing up who kind of had that depression," Riske said. "And I just felt like I always saw my best friend in him, and I just felt like I could help him out. He's such a great person, too, he's just quiet. He's a really good dude."

Riske's message as a mentor was simple, but Greinke needed to hear it.

"Just come to the park every day ready to do your job instead of just doing it for fun," Greinke said. "You've got to be mentally ready every day, no matter what. That's the main thing he brought."

It worked. Greinke had a 3.54 ERA in 38 appearances pitching out of the bullpen for Kansas City, and the lowly Royals won 25 of those games. When Greinke returned to the rotation, he went 2-2 with a 1.85 ERA in seven starts over August and September.

"I wanted to be that person or that teammate that went out of my way to get him because he doesn't like to talk a lot or whatever, but I went out of my way to talk to him, get him to talk to me and get to know him a little bit," Riske said.

Riske helped Greinke understand how he could fall from being a first-round pick in the 2002 draft to admitting he hated baseball and leaving he team for emergency counseling - and how he could ditch all that baggage by simplifying his approach to the game.

"I just tried to simplify it and say, 'Go out there and be aggressive and go right after people, who cares what happens,"' Riske said. "We really connected. I tried to help him out as much as I could."

As Riske helped Greinke became dominant again, their relationship began rubbing off on the rest of the Royals' relievers.

"Without him in the bullpen, we wouldn't have been anywhere close to what we did," Greinke said. "We probably would have been a lot more like we had been over the last four or five years, a well-below-average bullpen. And I'm pretty confident that just by his help, we'll be able to continue the things he taught."

Now Riske will have a chance to connect with a new bullpen that includes another talented but troubled teammate: Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow, who was hounded by fans as he frittered away leads last season.

Riske plans to help his teammates in the bullpen forget bad outings.

"You've just got to flush the bad ones out. It's easy to say it and it's very hard to do it because we're all competitors," Riske said. "I hate to lose. I hate to fail at anything. It's tough. I always say relievers have the hardest job in the game. You have to be perfect every single time out or else you didn't do your job."

---

AP Sports Writer Andrew Bagnato in Tucson, Ariz., contributed to this report.

The Associated Press

do people seriously care about "rep"?

it seems so childish.

A nice end to a forgettable Monday. Great news! :clap:

DAMN PENZ did you have to ****ing go there?:grr:

that really happened with riske, and while he may moy know nothing about throwing the heat, it was the absolute best advice greinke ever got. it made him comfortable enough to stop with the games he played while pitching, like you stated 90's then 60's, he just sometimes took it a little far and got beat up with it

paying him whatever he made was the absolute best money they spent that year

Yes, I was clearly all broken up about it. Lighten up, Francis.

Who was the last player of Greinke's caliber (#1 player in organization) who we locked up ahead of free agency eligibility? I was trying to think of it, and I can't really come up with anything.

Soria?