What It Means:

The dominoes begin to fall. Rosenthal says it will be a five- or six-year contract and might top the $31 million average annual value of the deal David Price just agreed to with the Red Sox. His stellar 2015 season led to a second-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award vote. An annual deal of this value is a huge investment, particularly for a 32-year-old, but Greinke just might get it.

Greinke posted the best ERA in baseball this season at 1.66, although his 3.22 xFIP ranked 15th. He also had the 10th-best strikeout-to-walk ratio at 5.00, as well as a 0.84 WHIP. His 222 2/3 innings pitched were the second-most of his career.