"Milwaukee Brewers ace Zack Greinke, tired of losing in Kansas City, conceded Tuesday that he made his trade request public last summer to ease fan backlash against the organization.

"I kind of had to play the bad guy,'' Greinke said, after lasting just 1 1/3 innings in his Brewers debut, walking three batters in a Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox. "It would be nice if it didn't happen. [But] if I kept being this sweet person, fans would have been outraged if I got traded. So I kind of had to be the bad guy for awhile.

"The fans, I don't know, seemed like they really like me.''

Greinke, traded along with shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt for four of the Brewers' top prospects, says his trade demand eased fans' anger over the trade, alleviating the burden on general manager Dayton Moore and the ownership.

"It made it easier,'' he said, "for them to move me.''

'The Brewers believe they're a legitimate contender with Greinke, and although he's excited too, isn't quite buying into the news media's hype over the team."