THE FIRST CALL came about 24 hours before Major League Baseball's 4 p.m. ET July 31 trade deadline. Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow reached out to his counterpart with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mike Hazen. Luhnow wanted to talk about Zack Greinke. Hazen was happy to listen.
Both understood how things like this work. It was a long shot. Around this time of year, baseball executives sequester themselves in conference rooms for a week or two leading up to the deadline. They arrive early. They stay late. They eat like crap. They forget to shave.