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Gregorius/Ray/Leyba: Trade reactions

Could this be one of those trades where everyone seems quite happy with the outcome? Could be, at least judging by the fan reaction for the three teams involved in yesterday's deal. Here's a breakdown of the other responses, at home and elsewhere, to the trade.

By Jim McLennan

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Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
From the team

[dbacks.com] D-backs trade Didi to get power lefty Ray - "This is a kid, a left-handed guy, that's a power pitcher," Chip Hale said of Ray. "They're hard to find these days so we're excited to have him. Whether he starts in the rotation, we'll wait and see, but he's got some big league time and was highly sought after, so we're excited to have a power lefty." Stewart said. "We've looked at a lot of different guys. I've said from the start that we'd like to get young, controllable pitching. From the day I said it, he's been one of the guys on my list."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks trade Didi Gregorius - Ray has a good fastball — he was clocked up to 97 mph in the Arizona Fall League — and a durable build, and the Diamondbacks, who have made starting pitching their focus this off-season, have little doubts about his upside. "This guy projected to be a middle-of-the-rotation to top-of-the-rotation guy," Diamondbacks General Manager Dave Stewart said. "That's why we did the deal."

[FOX Sports] D-backs acquire P Robbie Ray, send SS Didi Gregorius to Yankees - It enabled them to clear space in the middle infield while adding another young, controllable arm to contend for a spot in the starting rotation, a point of emphasis with general manager Dave Stewart in his first year. "We also have to build on our future," Stewart said. "Some believe he is capable of challenging for a spot in the immediate future, but we're not going to push him." It is the third major move in Stewart's first 10 weeks on the job, and it is not likely to be the last as the enter the winter meetings with an eye on a left-handed hitting outfielder and more pitching.

Punditry ahoy!

[FanGraphs] Yankees Get Help, Tigers Get Help, D-Backs Get Projects - Between Arizona and Detroit, there’s an interesting matter of prospect pedigree versus results. Ray has been considered a pretty good prospect. Leyba is considered a pretty good, toolsy prospect. Greene was never a prospect, but he’s done what neither Ray nor Leyba have — he’s looked real good, with skills to match, against advanced competition. For that reason, I prefer Greene, especially since he can help today and for the next six years. I don’t think Arizona got ripped off, since Ray and Leyba have talent and Gregorius is only so valuable, but if I had to pick the worst exchange, I’d see it as Arizona’s.

[SI.com] Yankees pick up Gregorius to be potential Jeter replacement - The Diamondbacks also did well here. Ray throws in the mid-90s, but with poor control and underwhelming secondary stuff. He may prove to be a reliever in the long run and will likely open the 2015 season in Triple A, but there are some scouts who are very high on him. Leyba didn't hit a lick in the Arizona Fall League and hit just .264/.303/.375 in the short-season New York-Penn League earlier in the year, but he remains a compelling prospect.

[HardballTalk] Initial thoughts on the Yankees-Tigers-Diamondbacks trade - For the Dbacks, I dunno, Robbie Ray was horrible in the bigs in a short stint in 2014. He struck out a lot of guys and walked a lot of guys in the minors. Last year he posted a 1.59 ERA through is first five starts at Triple-A, with a 21/5 K/BB ratio in 28 innings, showing his promise, but he is not a flawless prospect and the Dbacks, in recent years, haven’t done well with the pitchers they’ve acquired. He’ll be a good first test for the new regime.

[Ken Rosenthal] Can Gregorius handle NYC without Derek Jeter's influence? - Some with the Diamondbacks questioned Didi Gregorius' work ethic, attributing whatever success he achieved to his sheer athleticism. The quiet but firm examples of Jeter and the other members of the Core Four helped shame lagging teammates into better work habits. Gregorius might develop those habits on his own — he is only 24, still a young player. But now that Jeter is gone, it''s fair to ask whether the team''s clubhouse culture will remain the same type of force for positive change.

[ESPN[ A no-brainer trade for the Yankees - [Leyba] projects as an every-day second baseman who can hit for average (with a lot of contact) and doubles power, maybe an above-average regular if the bat clicks. Robbie Ray in addition to this lottery ticket seems like a great return for Gregorius, given the devaluing of Didi over the past season.

Fan reaction

[Bless You Boys] Did the Tigers give up on Robbie Ray too early? - Robbie Ray is young, just 23 years old in the 2015 season. He could still become a serviceable big league pitcher, but the odds are long. The Tigers easily have ten arms with more promise than Ray's. They did not give up too soon, but flipped him while he still had value. Ironically, that value may be more that he is connected in some minds with Doug Fister than a representation of his true talent.

[Pinstripe Alley] Yankees trade for Didi Gregorius: Immediate reaction - In the best case scenario, Gregorius gives them a competent major league shortstop to trot out for 150 games next season who is under team control for the next several years. For a team trying to get younger, cheaper, and more defensively capable, Gregorius is a great pick-up. In the worst case scenario, the Yankees just traded a 4th or 5th starter for a backup shortstop. I can envision scenarios with Ryan at short, Gregorius at second and Prado at third. For sinkerballers like Brandon McCarthy, that's a pretty fine infield.

The Twitter responds

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