Zack Greinke deal: Contract includes opt out clause

More details have been revealed about Zack Greinke’s record deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it appears the agreement could make the right-hander even richer if things play out a certain way, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

If you think Zack Greinke just signed a big free-agent contract, wait three years.

He might get an even bigger deal then.

Greinke’s six-year, $147 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers includes an opt-out clause that enables him to return to the open market midway through the agreement, major-league sources say.

Greinke's potential return to free agency following the 2015 season will come after fellow aces Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez have wreaked their havoc on the open market, which will likely result in an even more lucrative deal for the right-hander, if he chooses to take it.

The deal is potentially a rough one for the Dodgers, but good in every way for Greinke. If the right-hander underperforms in his first three years of the deal, he can stay in Los Angeles and collect his money. If he exceeds expectations, however, he can look for an even bigger deal in three years' time.

The opt-out clause -- which is rare for a long-term, front-loaded deal like Greinke's -- was reportedly the compromise reached when it became clear that the Dodgers would not offer him seven years or the protection of a no-trade clause. If Greinke is traded at any point during the contract -- which will pay him $76 million the first three seasons, $71 million in the final three -- the 29-year-old will have the option of opting out of his contract at the end of that season.