LOS ANGELES – The big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers made it official Monday, adding top free agent pitcher Zack Greinke to their impressive rotation after the right-hander passed his physical and signed a six-year, $147 million deal. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a co-owner of the team, tweeted enthusiastically: “Dodger Nation I am happy to announce we have signed P Zack Greinke, the best pitcher on the Free Agent Market!” Dodgers' owners, who paid $2.15 billion for the team in March, have added hundreds of millions of dollars in salaries to improve a team that finished second in the National League West with an 86-76 record, eight games behind the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Greinke was a combined 15-5 last season, splitting his year between the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels, posting an earned run average of 3.48 and striking out 200 in 212 innings. The 29-year-old won the American League Cy Young award in 2009, going 16-8 with a league-leading 2.16 ERA for the Kansas City Royals. Greinke's contract is the largest ever for a right-handed pitcher and, along with Sunday's signing of South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, sends the Dodgers' 2013 payroll past $225 million, a Major League Baseball record, mlb.com reported. Late in the 2012 campaign, the Dodgers made a nine-player blockbuster with the Red Sox, taking on board some $260 million in long-term deals in acquiring Boston's three most expensive players in Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett. Greinke and Ryu, who signed a six-year deal worth a reported $36 million, provide the Dodgers with a potential surplus of starting pitchers, leaving open the possibility of trades with Clayton Kersahw, Chad Billingsley, Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly already on the staff. In 2006, Greinke opened the season on the 60-day disabled list to deal with depression and social anxiety disorder, but he bounced back by winning 13 games in 2008 and claiming the Cy Young award the next season. Dodgers introduced left-hander Ryu Monday, making him the first player ever to go directly from the Korean league to the major leagues. “It's not just the spending but who you're spending it on,” Johnson said. “It has to be the right guys.” At 6-foot-1 (1.85 meters) and 215 pounds (98 kilograms), Ryu cast an imposing figure as he slipped on his No. 99 jersey, the same number he wore with the Eagles. The last Dodgers player to wear the number was Manny Ramirez. “I didn't realize he's this big and strong,” Johnson said. “Stamina-wise, he'll be able to hold up.” Ryu was 9-9 with a 2.66 ERA in 27 games last season for the Eagles. He limited opponents to a .232 batting average and led the Korea Baseball Organization with a career-high 210 strikeouts. He has international experience, having pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic, including two scoreless relief appearances at Dodger Stadium. — Agencies
