Zack Greinke held the New York Yankees to two runs on two hits over five innings on Wednesday, and that was the good news for the Bronx Bombers when it comes to the veteran pitcher.
In the closing minutes of the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline, the Houston Astros acquired Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the second last-minute pitching pickup that shifts the Astros to the favorites to win the American League over the Yankees.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the Greinke deal. The Astros confirmed all of the moves later in the day.
What’s more, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees were in pursuit of Toronto pitcher Aaron Sanchez … and the Astros got him, too. The Blue Jays also sent pitcher Joe Biagini and minor league outfielder Cal Stevenson to Houston with Sanchez, in exchange for outfielder Derek Fisher.
The Diamondbacks got four prospects for Greinke: first baseman/outfielder Seth Beer (the Astros’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline), right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas (No. 4), righty Corbin Martin (No. 5) and utility player Joshua Rojas (No. 22). But the team was able to hold onto its two most prized prospects, outfielder Kyle Tucker and right-handed pitcher Forrest Whitley.
Greinke, 35, is in the midst of another stellar season. The right-hander has a 10-4 record and 2.90 ERA, and his 0.95 WHIP is tops in the National League. He has been an All-Star in each of the last three of his four seasons in Arizona. He is 197-122 with a 3.36 ERA in his 16-year career.
“He’s done some very special things, and I think the fans of Arizona will realize that,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after Wednesday’s loss to the Yankees. “Zack is a potential future Hall of Famer in my eyes.”
Lovullo broke the news to Greinke during the contest when they went into the locker room to chat.
“He took it right in stride and was OK. He said some nice things about this organization and in typical Zack fashion, he asked some questions and he was ready to move on,” Lovullo said. “He’s been in this game a long time. He’s had situations like this before, and it’s tough and I’m sure he will be dealing with some of the circumstances around today’s craziness.
“But he’s going to go and pitch well for that club.”
Sanchez, 27, was an All-Star in 2016 and led the AL in winning percentage and ERA. He has struggled mightily this season, however, winning just three games while losing a league-worst 14 and sporting a 6.07 ERA in 23 starts. He has a 32-33 career record with a 3.96 ERA.
Biagini, 29, is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 49 games out of the bullpen this season, picking up a save along the way.
In four seasons, he has a 4.76 ERA in 203 games. He has 22 career starts but 18 of those were in 2017 and none of them came this season.
The Astros now have a rotation of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley, Greinke, and Sanchez. Between Verlander, Cole and Greinke, they have three pitchers in the top 10 in the majors in ERA, three in the top five in WHIP, two in the top three in hits per nine innings, two of the top 10 in walks per nine innings, and three of the top five in innings pitched.