With the intent of contending in 2016, the Arizona Diamondbacks outbid the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants for Zack Greinke, considered the biggest prize on the free agent market.
The signing shocked the baseball world and immediately transformed the Diamondbacks from a pretender to a contender.
Greinke became the highest paid player, in terms of average annual value, in baseball history. After just 5 1/2 hours of contract negotiations, Fox Sports reported that Greinke and the Diamondbacks were in agreement.
Nationally, the deal raised many eyebrows. Even after signing a television deal worth more than $1.