It looks increasingly likely that Zack Greinke is going to be traded by the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Brewers did offer Greinke a long-term contract extension, worth five years and over $100 million dollars.
The quiet Greinke offer, which is said to have come more than a week ago, was said by one person to have been for close to the $112.5-million, five-year extension Matt Cain signed and may have even replicated it (though Cain's total could be looked at as $127.5 million since he had a year to go at $15 million when he signed the extension this spring). Greinke is expected to hit the free-agent market, which would give him a chance to look around.
It would have been a shock if Greinke took Milwaukee's offer. In the past, he's indicated that being on a winning team is a preference, if not requirement, for him. Milwaukee currently is on the outskirts of contention in 2012, and there's little to nothing coming in the farm system to replenish the big league squad.
If the Brewers decide to deal Greinke, they'll likely have quite a few suitors. The Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers have all be linked to the much maligned ace.