MLB Rumors: "Both Sides Need To Give" If Royals Legend Is To Return

It was thought to be a slam dunk (or rather, a fastball down the middle) after the 2022 season that former Kansas City Royals Cy Young Winner and six-time All-Star Zack Greinke would be returning to KC for 2023. But the free agent pitcher hasn't signed yet, and with the going rate for starting pitching having skyrocketed this winter, there's no certainty that a deal will get done. 

As Ken Rosenthal writes in The Athletic, "for him to return to the Royals, both sides likely will need to give."

The Royals don't necessarily need Zack Greinke. And he doesn't necessarily need top dollar. But Greinke is forever (and most recently) a Royal, writes @Ken_Rosenthal.

"[He] means that much to their fans, their franchise."

Can they strike a deal?https://t.co/JkEikw6kj6

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 16, 2023

The 39-year-old Greinke has earned over $330M over the course of his 19-year MLB career. If he really wants to return to Kansas City, as he had said after the 2022 season, then, as Rosenthal notes, he "does not need to hold out for every last dollar." But of course, the pitcher still wants to be paid what he's worth. 

Greinke spent the first seven years of his career with the Royals, then was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, and from there he went on to spend time with the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros before returning to the Royals in '22—supposedly to finish his career.  

He has a lifetime 223 wins, an ERA of 3.42, a WHIP of 1.17, and 2,882 strikeouts. 

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