This week, two things came true: future Hall of Famer Zack Greinke will start this season where he began his career, with the Kansas City Royals. And, for the first time in his 12-year career, the future Hall of Famer, and soon-to-be member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Freddie Freeman he will not wear an Atlanta Braves uniform.
This is also true: Both Kansas City and Atlanta have a good chance of being better this season than they were last. Yes, Atlanta won a World Series, but the Braves also went under .500 for much of last season and finished the regular season with just 88 wins. The Royals have been rebuilding for the past four years and are finally ready to compete.
In the end, the Braves and Royals may be better because of the moves they made this week, in spite of them, or a bit of both. There are no guarantees one way or the other. In the short term, there is little in terms of ultimate value to separate Greinke from Mike Minorwhom Greinke apparently replaced on the KC roster, or Freeman from matt olsonwhom Atlanta acquired to take over to become the face of their franchise.
This week, as baseball’s post-lockout trades went up like a fire hose, most pieces on this site and others have been calling out the impact of moves like these. It’s been fun, exhausting and a bit dizzying. With an update to my forecast spreadsheet this morning, I watched the Blue Jays jump from a close second behind the Yankees in the AL East to becoming favorites to win both the division and the pennant.
This piece, however, is not an analysis of the movements. It’s a lament, from one of them, anyway.
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MLB Free Agency: Zack Greinke, Freddie Freeman and the One-Team Player’s Lost Beauty