LA Dodgers Rumors: Zach Greinke expected to Opt Out of Contract

The Los Angeles Dodgers, whose postseason was just ended at the hands of the New York Mets, will have to start working on offseason contracts. According to sources, ace Zach Greinke will be opting out of his contract and seeking a larger deal.

Grienke, who has $71 million over three years left, can expect offers to be at least around the five-year, $125 million mark from several teams, one general manager stated via CBSSports.com. There is a strong likelihood that Grienke will get $150 million over five years, which is significantly better than the six-year, $147 million contract the Dodgers signed him to three years ago.

Per Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com:

"Someone connected to Greinke suggested the pitcher shouldn't have any trouble getting a deal of some length (presumably meaning five to six years, at least) even though he turns 32 next Wednesday. The reason he probably isn't a threat to crack the $200 million mark, as his rotation mate Clayton Kershaw did and Max Scherzer also did, is he's seven years older than Kershaw was when he signed with the Dodgers before free agency and a couple years older than Scherzer was when he signed with the Nationals. Free agents David Price and possibly Johnny Cueto are expected to command even more because they, too, are a couple years younger than Greinke."

Greinke had another great season. The right-handed pitcher finished 19-3 with 200 strikeouts and a league leading ERA of 1.66. He is expected to finish within the top three in the Cy Young voting.

"Not a lot of bad things happened," Grienke said about the success he had this year.

His teammates had nothing but good things to say about the pitcher.

"He's an ace. He's an amazing pitcher. And he's a guy who really meshes well with the guys in this clubhouse," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "And he's a winner. If you want to get to where you want to go, you want guys like that."

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez added, "He's been incredible the whole time he's been here. We love him. We hope he opts to stay."

Teams that could try to sign Grienke include the Giants, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Cardinals and more. The Dodgers could still be in the mix, especially since Greinke has stated previously that he likes Los Angeles.