SnakeBytes: Trumbosaurus Rex edition

Trade analysis and comment

• [SportsonEarth] Arizona's trade for Mark Trumbo leaves questions unanswered - "The question next year's Diamondbacks care about isn't whether or not Eaton and Skaggs turn out to be the players scouts thought they might be a few years back; the question next year's Diamondbacks care about is "will Trumbo help Arizona win more games than Eaton and Skaggs would have?" Right now, that's a tough sell."
• [ArizonaSports] Keith Law: 'It's as if they've never seen Mark Trumbo play' - Law in full-on attack mode. "The only place he can reasonably play...doesn't matter because the Diamondbacks don't have a place for him to play at first base right now. So they acquired a player who doesn't help them a ton on offense -- helps them a little bit -- but there's absolutely no place for him in the lineup and he's going to give back a huge part of that offensive value with what he's unable to accomplish on defense."
• [ArizonaSports.com] The Pulse: D-backs fans like the Trumbo trade - However, interesting to see that their poll had 53% give the deal a thumbs-up and 20% a thumbs-down. The SnakePit poll had almost the exact opposite results. 22% up, 58% down.
• [dbacks.com] Derrick Hall chat transcript - "Do you, Kevin Towers, and the rest of the D-backs front office measure players by Advanced Sabermetrics Stats or do you think those are blown up too much? Derrick_Hall: We do use the stats, and in fact, some of the advanced metrics show that Trumbo could drive in as many as Goldy did this year." Um, I do not think "advanced metrics" means what you think it means, Derrick...
  
• [Grantland] Whether Mark Trumbo Helps or Hurts Arizona - "In reality, Arizona didn't have a gigantic outfield hole with Cody Ross, A.J. Pollock, and Gerardo Parra, but none of those players fit the masher mold Towers craved. When available talent is scarce, fixating on very specific player parameters rather than simply seeking out the players who can help the most can be an iffy proposition."

Non-Trumbo news

• [CBSSports.com] Best Winter Meetings exchange: Kirk Gibson vs. LA media person - Kirk Gibson and a member of the Los Angeles media had an extended exchange during the Winter Meetings. Having sat in on a couple of Gibson sessions, this rings true. He does not tolerate what he considers foolish or flimsy questions gladly...
• [MiLB.com] Rawhide announce 2014 field staff - "Robby Hammock will manage; Arizona also sends former Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Bobby Smith back to Tulare County as the Rawhide hitting coach, while 10-year Major League veteran Gil Heredia will serve as pitching coach. Hammock spent last season as manager of the Missoula Osprey, the Diamondbacks' Class A Short-Season affiliate."
• Minor league contracts with invitations to spring training have been offered to a trio of players you may remember. Popular former (very former, by this point!) Diamondback Ryan Roberts has been signed by the Cubs (H/T SenSurround), while ex-outfielder Jason Kubel returns to his former club in Minnesota, and reliever Sam Demel, who spent 2013 with the Yankees' AAA affiliate, has joined the Dodgers.
• [Phoenix Coyotes] Coyotes to Recognize Paul Goldschmidt - "The Phoenix Coyotes announced that the organization will recognize Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt for his outstanding 2013 MLB season by having him take part in the ceremonial pre-game puck drop on Saturday, December 14 when the Coyotes host the Carolina Hurricanes. Game time is 6:00 p.m."

Around baseball

• [USA Today] Say goodbye to home-plate collisions in MLB - "Pending approval by Major League clubs and the MLB Players Association, Major League Baseball will ban home-plate collisions beginning in 2014." A collection of GIFs celebrates what will soon be a thing of the past. Of course, players will still be able to break their own legs by sliding in to home...
• [Montral Gazette] Baseball could return to Montreal — with a new stadium - A feasibility study unveiled Thursday said, based on the information collected and a conservative analysis, the return of baseball would be financially viable under "a set of realistic assumptions." They include "a modest but competitive payroll, average ticket prices in line with league averages, (and) a local broadcasting rights deal in line with other similar MLB markets."
• [Sun Sentinel] Boynton man stole Biogenesis records used to ban Major League Baseball players, police say - "Boca Raton police arrested a tanning salon employee this week and charged him with stealing the documents that set off the biggest performance-enhancing drug scandal in baseball history, adding another only-in-South-Florida twist to the seedy saga."
• [Yahoo!] Parking-lot altercation steals the show at winter meetings - "The most exciting moment of the 2013 winter meetings took place in the self-parking lot outside the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel at 12:03 p.m. local time Wednesday. Forget trades, free-agent signings and rumors. Two men tried to beat the crap out of each other, witnesses said, and one of them threatened to burn the other’s house down." Please let it have been Scott Boras and Jay-Z...
• [USA Today] The 24-Second News Cycle - "Baseball's Hot Stove season is now 24 hours a day, six months out of the year. If the last week of baseball activity on Twitter and the web are any indication, the offseason Hot Stove news cycle is closer in length to 24 seconds than 24 hours."