The Zack Greinke Contract Extension

Yesterday Royals GM Dayton Moore answered questions from fans via mlb.com. The idea in theory is a good one: have the GM answer questions straight from the fans this way the fans feel connected and the GM can get his message out to the general public. However there was one notable name absent from the chat.

Zach Greinke.

Amazingly there was not one question about the Royals' ace in the chat. If I could ask Moore one question where I was forced to stay absolutely positive about the job he's done so far with the Royals and by no means could I even attempt to state anything negative, I would have said the following:

How lucky are you that Zach Greinke agreed to a contract extension with the Royals LAST SEASON?

Moore's tenure as GM has been defined by questionable decisions and puzzling acquisitions, but the signing of Greinke has been nothing short of genius. At the time the extension was announced, the deal looked great from the Royals' point of view because they were able to lock up their ace for the next four years at a fantastic price (4 years/$38 million).

But now that Greinke is one his way to winning his first CY Young award, the Greinke extension looks like highway robbery at this point. Think about it: if Moore had held off on giving Greinke a contract extension last offseason, imagine what it would have cost the Royals to lock Greinke up long term this season?

I'll tell you this much: it would have cost them A LOT more than $38 million. And you can make the case that this contract saved the Royals a lot more than just money....Dayton Moore's job.

Any predictions?