Phillies Trading for Zack Greinke Would Put Intense Pressure on Braves in NL East Race
By Michael Luciano
Even after they've been leapfrogged by the Washington Nationals and still trail the Atlanta Braves in the NL East by a sizeable margin, don't count out Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies just yet, especially if they add a top starting pitcher.
With the Arizona Diamondbacks waffling between buying and selling by the day, the rumor mill for starter Zack Greinke and his massive contract is starting to heat up.
The #Phillies have been scouting and keeping close tabs on #Dbacks starters Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray, who pitches tonight
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 22, 2019
If the Phillies could pull off either Greinke or, to a lesser extent, Robbie Ray, the race for the NL East would be back on in a big way.
Between Harper, Rhys Hoskins, JT Realmuto and Scott Kingrey, scoring runs is not the Phillies' problem. Rather, a subpar bullpen and an inconsistent starting rotation that has seen Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta regress have knee-capped the Phils this year.
Adding Greinke, while it would mean taking over his ridiculous contract, would signal to the rest of the NL that Gabe Kapler and GM Matt Klentak are not playing around.
Money should be absolutely no object for where the Phillies as an organization are in 2019. Don’t complicate this. Get Greinke for Medina, Williams, and another prospect and call it a day. If you wanna legitimately push for the Wild Card, this is the move to make. https://t.co/con9ICS2RX
— #BOHMSQUAD (52-48) (@GentonWheels) July 22, 2019
Even during a poor season for the latter two, a Greinke-Nola-Arrieta rotation will be pretty threatening once October comes around.