Zack Greinke

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels made their latest big move Friday, acquiring ace pitcher Zack Greinke from the Milwaukee Brewers for rookie shortstop Jean Segura and two minor leaguers.

By winning the sweepstakes for Greinke, perhaps the most-prized arm available before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the aggressive Angels followed up a huge offseason highlighted by the additions of free-agent stars Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.

“It should be fun. They are a great team,” Greinke said in Milwaukee after the deal was completed. “After the first month of the season, they have been one of the best teams in baseball. There is a lot of talent there. A lot of great players. The pitching staff will be pretty incredible.”

Greinke joins an outstanding rotation that includes three other All-Stars in Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Wilson. The Angels began the day five games behind first-place Texas in the AL West but in position for a wild card.

“It’s an exciting day,” first-year general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “We hope that this move will be not just a short-term gain, but one that’s good for the organization. We’re excited to see what kind of a difference he can make.”

The rival Rangers were among several teams thought to be pursuing Greinke, along with the Braves and White Sox. To land Greinke, Los Angeles also sent Double-A right-handers Ariel Pena and Johnny Hellweg to Milwaukee.

“I tried to narrow it down to four or five teams and then as we moved on zeroed in on three teams and then it got down to two teams at the end,” Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin said.