Source: Dodgers, Zack Greinke moving toward six-year deal

The Dodgers are making significant progress toward a contract with free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke.

If Greinke signs with the Dodgers, he would get a six-year, $145-million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Greinke, 29, is the clear-cut No. 1 starting pitcher in this free-agent class and is also believed to be pursued by the Texas Rangers.

Over nine major league seasons, Greinke is 91-78 with a 3.77 earned-run average. He pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers and Angels last season, and was a combined 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 34 starts.

Greinke had his best season in 2009, when won the American League Cy Young Award pitching for the Kansas City Royals. That year, he was 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA.

Greinke has overcome well-chronicled bouts with anxiety and depression, which nearly led him to quit baseball before the 2006 season.

The Dodgers will look for Greinke to be a No. 2 pitcher to complement ace Clayton Kershaw.

If the Dodgers sign Greinke, they would have seven pitchers under contract for next season. The others are Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Josh Beckett, Chris Capuano, Aaron Harang and Ted Lilly. The Dodgers are also looking to sign left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, a seven-time Korean league all-star.

Capuano and Harang appear to be the most likely to be traded.
The addition of Greinke would mark the continuation of a furious year-long spending spree by the Dodgers, who are making the New York Yankees look like they are based in a Third World market.

The Dodgers are negotiating a television-rights deal with Fox that could be worth more than $6 billion, and the team has added more than $500 million in player salaries since they were purchased by Guggenheim Baseball in the spring.

They signed Cuban outfield prospect Yasiel Puig to a $42-million deal and inked Andre Ethier to a $85-million contract extension. They traded for former All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez and absorbed the $38 million remaining on his contract. Their most significant and expensive move to date came in August, when they took on $260 million in salary commitments by acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett from the Boston Red Sox.

This winter, they re-signed closer Brandon League to a three-year $22.5-million deal.

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