He's Gone, our Zach has left the building. I had been praying all along that this wouldn't happen before the season started, but recent events all but killed any prospect of this happening and so the Royals did what they had to do. Without worrying too much about the specific prospects, this is pretty much the best possible outcome for everyone involved. It was finished fast, we didn't have to drag it out for another week and in the end everyone should be happy, perhaps most of all Zach Greinke.
Zach now finds himself on a club that will compete and, in my opinion, could make it to the World Series if no one gets hurt and they all perform at their peak levels and Philly chokes (lots of ifs but they have a pretty solid base). He will be surrounded by players that have won previously and who are professionals; as opposed to the rag-tag group of mutts that he has spent the last few years playing with. Its Milwaukee, he doesn't have to worry about the big stage, pressure or rabid fans AND he gets to swing the bat (I'll start the over under on Greinke HRs next year at 3). The Royals don't have to face him next year - barring the most unlikely world series match-up in history - and as a Royals fan you can still root for Greinke; Toronto, Texas and especially New York would have been tough to stomach. For Zach, it couldn't have turned out better and if you still hold a little bit of love for him as a fan it's a fitting place for him as well.
The Royals got, more or less, what they wanted; a defensive whiz SS and a possible legit starting CF (the "up-the-middle" guys) AND they got rid of Yuniesky, which is no small feat by itself. If Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain can play their as advertised above average defense and resemble something approaching the level of major league hitters, then they will be as valuable as Greinke would have been next year. The pitchers sound good in theory and if one turns out to be who is projected to be, along with the position players, the Royals will probably win long-term in the deal. The players we got in return have a surprising amount of big league experience, I had foreseen the Royals picking-up players that we wouldn't see for a year, but we might actually see three of the four play the whole season at the big-league level, which would be a big surprise and make the deal much more palatable. They're dirt cheap, we save the $27 mil on Greinke's contract and get a bunch of league minimum players, I'm not sure what the savings mean at this point, but in 2011 the Royals could conceivably spend big-time bucks on a worthy free-agent or go the predictable Billy Butler long-term extension route.
The relatively sweet and quick ending to this story should leave Royals fans and Zach Greinke relieved and able to enjoy the Holiday season a bit more. It's sad to see him go, but he's definitely in a better place now, and most likely so are the Royals.
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