Report: D-Backs believe they'll get better return for Greinke in July

Zack Greinke has been a popular name in trade rumors of late, but the Arizona Diamondbacks may wait until July to deal the five-time All-Star.

The D-Backs believe they'll get a better return for the 2009 Cy Young winner at the non-waiver trade deadline than this offseason, reports Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

After finishing third in the NL West last season, the Diamondbacks traded franchise cornerstone Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals last week. While it appeared like they might be kick-starting a rebuild, Arizona general manager Mike Hazen explained that wasn't the case Wednesday. However, Greinke still appears to be on the table.

Greinke is widely considered one of the game's top pitchers, but the 35-year-old has more than $100 million (including signing bonus money) left on the remaining three years of his contract and a 15-team no-trade clause, which could make finding a trade partner difficult.

Waiting until July buys them some time, but is also a dice roll for the D-Backs since Greinke could potentially pitch poorly in the first half of next season, lowering his value.

That does seem unlikely based on his recent performance. In three seasons with Arizona, Greinke owns a 45-25 record with a 3.53 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

He's also tossed more than 200 innings and won a Gold Glove in back-to-back seasons.

The Cincinnati Reds have reportedly checked in on his availability.