Are The Braves Pursuing Greinke?

The situation with Zach Greinke in Kansas City is evolving rapidly. In apparent frustration with progress on a contract extension, Greinke has taken two bold steps: First, he fired his agent and hired “Super-firm” CAA, one of the highest profile agencies across all of entertainment and sports and the representatives for many top-tier baseball players including Derek Jeter. Secondly, Jon Morosi is reporting that the has demanded a trade. The Royals have apparently agreed to try to make a trade happen.

Having some personal knowledge of CAA (I’ll let the intrepid amongst you figure out how that is the case), I can assure you that they are not happy with how they were portrayed in the media during the Jeter negotiations. They are most anxious to make that “old news” by having a big success somewhere else. And there is no better place to make that happen than with a new client.

It is also no secret that Dayton Moore, Kansas City’s GM, loves to do business with the organization he grew up in, that being Atlanta. The trading door has swung early and often between the teams. Moore has a deep appreciation for the Atlanta farm system as well.

Adding further to the background is the fact that Greinke has gone on record as saying that he would accept a trade to Atlanta, even before the trade demand surfaced.

With the Cliff Lee addition in Philadelphia, the Braves have been reassessing how their rotation looks over the course of the long season. While not as flashy as the one in the city of brotherly love, it is still quite sound. However, it is both lacking a true standout ace and is vulnerable to injury more than in recent years (there is a limit to how much back-stopping any team can do).

The Atlanta marketing staff has also been tasked with addressing why a team that draws in the top five on the road more than a decade after the dismantling of the TBS Superstation juggernaut by Bud Selig and his minions has trouble filling 40% of their home seats. They had not found any answers that didn’t have the ring of excuses before the Lee signing. They truly have no answer now.

But, they wonder, what if there was a player out there whose signing might take the wind out of Philly’s sails? What if we could find a team that had a player like that and that they would be willing to trade? What if there was a team that could benefit tremendously from pitching talent that was a couple of years away from the majors and whose arrival would coincide with that of a lot of homegrown talent? What if that team has shown itself to value Atlanta’s talent fairly and believes that trading with Atlanta lessens the risk in trading for prospects? Eureka! The solution to all their problems lies due west out I-70 from St. Louis.

Could the Braves make this work internally? Maybe more easily than you might expect. The biggest impediment is finances. However, this is really only a one year issue, as a lot of salary comes off the books after 2011 (or 2012, depending on Chipper’s status and what becomes of Derek Lowe). This would also be a perfect time for Wren to put up or shut up about the Braves not cutting salaries. And do not discount Chipper’s willingness to restructure his deal if presented with a tangible opportunity to significantly improve his chances to play in another World Series.

There is no question in my mind that the Braves can put together a very attractive yet affordable package for K.C. The Atlanta system is stacked with pitching prospects that would complement the young positional talent that is coming soon to Kaufman. Derek Lowe could even be a part of the trade. I also believe that the Braves, CAA, and Greinke have both the motivation and ability to structure an extension that makes this move a long-term strategic coup. There is no impediment to making this work that cannot be overcome. Financially, even a modest (and very salable to ownership) projected revenue increase pays for it, without even tapping the resources already outlined.

Want the finishing touch to the story? I’ve heard that conversations have already started.

Any thoughts?