WHAT THE FRIEDMAN DID THE DODGERS DO?

That’s the headline from local Los Angeles sportswriter Vincent Bonsignore after learning Dodgers ace Zach Greinke announced Friday that he would be joining the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Greinke will earn $206 million over six years in Arizona—at $34.42 million a year he becomes one of the highest paid players in baseball. For comparison, Dodgers’ phenom Clayton Kershaw will get $30.7 million a year through 2020.

The loss of Greinke in the rotation is a shock and a huge blow to the Dodgers organization. He led the majors with a 1.44 ERA last season and along with Kershaw was part of the toughest pitching duo in all of baseball.

And Greinke donning a Diamondback uniform will be particularly hard for Dodger faithful. The Diamondbacks are in the same division which means Dodger hitters will see a lot of the dominating right hander over the next six years. There’s also a weird rivalry between the two teams. You may remember a couple years back Diamondbacks brass pissed off most of Los Angeles after they made Dodgers fans sitting in club seats change their attire to Dbacks gear—a practice they’ve continued this last year. The Dodgers also contributed to the tension by celebrating their 2013 NL West championship in the Diamondbacks outfield pool.

The loss of Greinke combined with previous trades of gold glover Dee Gordon and outfielder Matt Kemp has L.A. fans and sports media questioning Andrew Friedman’s decisions in the front office. While the loss of Greinke hurts, the Dodgers were right to get rid of Kemp who was a constant source of dysfunction in the clubhouse. But Friedman has his challenges ahead of him. He needs to add more arms to the starting rotation and the bullpen, and fill holes at second base and the outfield. With all the deep pockets the Dodgers have, they’re starting the off season on a very down note.


   
--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist &
Los Angeles Dodger fan
Twitter:  @heylexyg



You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!