Snake Bytes, 12/12: All I want for Christmas is a Zack Greinke jersey...

Diamondbacks news

[Dbacks.com] D-backs' Ken Kendrick says more work to do - "You can't really celebrate until you get to a real goal," Kendrick said. "Even now, we're not at a real goal. A real goal is to bring winning baseball back to Arizona." And it looks like the D-backs might not be done adding to the roster. As of Thursday, they had not closed the door on signing free-agent pitcher Mike Leake. "If there's the right player we want to add, we could increase payroll," Kendrick said. "That said, we feel competitively that we have a very strong club right now."

[Arizona Sports] Recent moves by D-backs bring hypotheticals, pressure - This extreme gamble, along with the team on the field, is what’s going to be so polarizing about baseball in the desert in 2016. There’s no other way for the organization to go about it. They need to win now and win big. Those previous statements having validity after just two transactions is quite the whirlwind, something the D-backs will find themselves square in the middle of for the foreseeable future. There’s no way to deny the pressure that comes with that and all the "what if’s?" down the road, two things that the D-backs better be ready for, whether they like it or not.

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks strike while window is open - "I can tell you this from playing – the window closes quickly," Diamondbacks General Manager Dave Stewart said Thursday as the meetings drew to a close. "You think you can play forever. You think you’re going to be young forever. And then all of a sudden, things change. We think that our time is now. Obviously, with the way ownership has stepped up, we’re putting the effort towards trying to get it done now. We’re working at it."

[Arizona Sports] For Diamondbacks, Zack Greinke goes from rival to ace - Once a division rival who played a central role in the infamous bean-ball brawl of 2013, Greinke said there was no bad blood to get over before making his decision. "I guess I just view it kind of as just baseball, kind of happens," he said. "I don’t think anyone in L.A. thinks about it anymore; I don’t think think anyone in Arizona even thinks about it anymore. It’s been a while and I think everyone’s completely got rid of all their grudges and just kind of gone about playing them."

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks take an awesomely scary leap - Today the national baseball media is convinced the Diamondbacks can compete for a championship, but they’re contemptuous of the talent the team traded away. The winter of 2015 is going to define this team for years to come. We admire the guts of ownership and management to step on the accelerator and make some noise, even if it’s just one season Los Angeles has to eat our dust. Beat L.A.!

[FOX Sports] Diamondbacks introduce $206.5 million man Zack Greinke - The thought of playing for Arizona occurred to Greinke during a series in the desert just before this year's All-Star break. He noticed how hard the scrappy Diamondbacks played, the way they played defense and how they knocked the ball around Chase Field. ''I was just thinking, like, `Man, they have something going on there,'' Greinke said. ''Just need a couple things and could be as good as anybody.'''

[Arizona Sports] Zack Greinke excited to join the Arizona Diamondbacks - The pitching impressed him as well. "De La Rosa has an amazing arm. The Dodgers actually hit him pretty well, but he was very impressive, just his stuff; and then Corbin was about as good as anyone two years ago before he got hurt and Archie Bradley, I think people know a lot about him," Greinke said. "They have a couple of other younger guys and then they traded for the Ray guy that, his arm is way better than, I think, anyone gave him credit for when they traded for him—maybe I just didn’t know much about him, but his arm is pretty good.

And, elsewhere...

[Forbes] Los Angeles Dodgers Are Baseball's Biggest Mystery - Even with their $7 billion television deal with Time Warner, the Dodgers have posted over $85 million in operating (in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) losses by my count and much bigger pretax losses (not important from a cash flow standpoint, but very important when it comes to lending covenants). The Dodgers will almost certainly have baseball’s biggest payroll and lose money again this year. Believe me, I have asked around–bankers, baseball executives, MLB. As one team executive told me: "No one knows."

[AFP] Teenager pitching to break Mexico gender wall - With her 78-mile-per-hour fastball, teenager Rosa Maria del Castillo became the first female pitcher in a Mexican semi-pro men's baseball league, breaking the gender barrier in a notoriously macho society.. The right-hander's pitch repertoire includes a fastball, a curveball and a change-up -- not bad for an 18-year-old who stands barely 1.72 meters (5.6 feet) tall. I want to believe that more doors will begin to open for women in baseball, although it won't happen quickly," she told AFP

[ESPN] Chicago Cubs add to offseason haul by agreeing with OF Jason Heyward - The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Jason Heyward on an 8-year, $184 million deal. Heyward's deal has two opt-outs: One is after three years and the second is after the fourth year. According to a Fox Sports report, the Nationals bid $200 million for Heyward, and another team, believed to be the Cardinals, also offered $200 million, meaning Heyward took less money to play for the Cubs.