There is no way to make up for it: the 2024 Major League season has been a real disappointment for the Miami Marlins. One of the main reasons for this has to do with the large number of injuries suffered by important members of the roster, especially those who seemed destined to be part of the starting rotation.
Some, like the Dominicans Sandy Alcántara and Eury Pérez, will miss the rest of the tournamentwhile others like Venezuelan Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett are sidelined indefinitely.
Faced with such a crisis, the idea of signing a starter from free agency seems more than necessary, although among the alternatives still available, there is one that appears to be the most interesting.
It’s about the veteran Zack Greinke, a former Cy Young Award winner. After a campaign in which he posted a 5.06 ERA, a 4.74 FIP and a 6.1 strikeout rate per nine innings in 30 games with the Royals in 2023, it is understandable why the 40-year-old arm of age continues without employment.
Based on his results from the previous contest, the right-hander doesn’t seem like a better option than what manager Skip Schumaker already has at his disposal, but with the Marlins getting worse and worse in 2024, Greinke could be the perfect answer for him. team in its attempt to eat several innings and protect the arms of the club’s most promising pitchers.
However, there is another reason why the Fish management could consider the signing, one that has nothing to do with the team as such. Greinke has 2,979 strikeouts throughout his career and reaching 3,000 in a Marlins uniform would be one of the very few reasons why the fans could smile in 2024.
It’s a chance for Miami to make some noise in this obscure tournament for the currency and even enter the history books. Perhaps, albeit in a remote setting, the bet will also allow additional tickets to be sold at the usually deserted LoanDepot Park.
Signing Greinke is far from a guarantee or a necessity for the Marlins and their executives, but at the end of the day, investing a couple of extra million dollars for a historic moment might be all this team is willing to offer him. to his fans in the current year.
