It may be a little early to start the free-agency talks, but it's hard not to with Milwaukee Brewers standout right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke becoming available in 2013.
The 2009 American League Cy Young winner made a name for himself as one of the big league's best with the Kansas City Royals before moving onto Milwaukee. Greinke was successful against the Detroit Tigers while with Kansas City, and the Brewers could opt to let him go rather than signing him to a long-term deal.
The Tigers need to pounce on him; although they already have solid right-handed pitching, Greinke is too good to pass on.
Greinke has led the Brewers to a 20-0 record at Miller Park, including the playoffs, and is considered one of the NL's top pitchers. He's 2-1 this season with a 4.56 earned-run average and posted a 16-6 record with a 3.83 ERA in 2011.
Even when with the Royals, a struggling franchise, Greinke shined by winning a combined 29 games from 2008-09. The guy can pitch. That's never been a secret.
The Tigers desperately need another reliable starter to bolster their pitching staff. Other than the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, Detroit has little else to follow with. Doug Fister was incredible for the Tigers during the last part of the 2011 season, posting a 9-2 record after arriving from Seattle (not including playoffs, went 2-1).
Fister is a vital cog to the rotation -- currently on the DL with a side strain -- but Detroit could use another strong arm considering Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello have had their struggles. Of course, some would argue that the Tigers need a lefty. They'd also say Detroit needs to seek a fifth-starter caliber pitcher and let Porcello and Scherzer develop into third- and fourth-options.
While getting Greinke may seem like a novel idea, the Tigers already have Major League Baseball's fifth-highest payroll -- just under $132 million. With Verlander, Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez each making $13 million or more per year, according to MSN-Fox Sports, it's likely the Tigers would have to add Greinke, who will make about $13 million this year, to that list.
There is no salary cap in baseball (the real game, not fantasy), just a luxury tax. And Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has the luxury of having little or no cap to monetary funds.
Ilitch, worth a reported $2.4 billion, already went out and spent $214 million to bring Fielder to Detroit for nine years. He's not afraid to dole out the cash to get pieces to make his club a World Series contender. The addition of Fielder prompted several baseball analysts to tab the Tigers as a team to beat in 2012.
Greinke won't be cheap. He's 28 and should be looking for that "one deal" to rest upon. Ilitch's track record suggests the Tigers could be the club to make that offer.
The only real concern is this: Would Greinke be comfortable as Detroit's No. 2 pitcher? Of course, Fister would need to be bumped to the third spot, leaving Verlander firmly at No. 1. Greinke and Verlander would be a nearly unstoppable 1-2 tandem, and with Fister at No. 3, the Tigers would have one of the most dangerous staffs in recent memory.
However, Greinke is worthy of being a team's ace. If he was willing to slide to second in order to be in Detroit, the scenario could play out to the Tigers' advantage.
Adam Biggers has followed Major League Baseball for over 20 years, specifically the Detroit Tigers. He can be found on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.
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