Greinke Says Money is Top Priority and Calls American League Boring

Zack Greinke, who signed a six-year $159 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason was surprisingly candid when asked why he chose the Dodgers over the Texas Rangers, who heavily pursued him-money. "That's what it comes down to in the end," said Greinke at the time.

In an interview with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Greinke stood by his admission and reiterated it more emphatically. "It's obviously the No. 1 thing. I could play for the worst team if they paid the most ... If the last place team offers $200 million and the first-place team offers $10, I'm going to go for the $200-million no matter what team it was.'' While the Rangers were also in hot pursuit and were willing to go well over $100 million for his services, they did not want to give Greinke an opt-out clause after three years. While he acknowledged that money was his top priority during the free agency process, he did not hide behind it in an effort to appear noble. "The worst comment in the world has got to be when a guy who's getting $100 million says he wants to 'take care of my family,' " Greinke said. Of course, nobody needs $100 million, or even half that, to keep their family going."

Greinke also told Heyman that he prefers National League baseball, which played a role in his decision to sign with the Dodgers. "It's boring watching American League games to me," Greinke said. "With the Angels we had [Mike] Trout, [Albert] Pujols, [Mark] Trumbo, [Kendrys] Morales and [Torii] Hunter, but it wasn't as much fun as watching Milwaukee's team. There's much more strategy. I don't know anyone who likes the American League games better. Maybe some fans do. But if you're not an actual DH, you probably prefer the National League."

Greinke was 15-5 last season with the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels, posting a 3.48 ERA with an even 200 strikeouts. His stat lines showed little variation between the two leagues, but he was slightly better in more games with the Brewers in the National League.