SnakeBytes, 12/5: Zack Greinke signing reactions

[Yahoo] Zack Greinke to Arizona changes landscape of NL West - It remains to be seen if it has changed enough for Arizona to truly contend for a division championship, but it no doubt puts both the Dodgers and Giants on their heels heading into the winter meetings... The lineup is in a good spot with perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt providing a rock-solid anchor and A.J. Pollock looking like an All-Star caliber talent. If they get a better return on their investment in Yasmany Tomas and see continued progress in young players like Ender Inciarte, Jake Lamb and Nick Ahmed, their offensive ceiling may be even higher in 2016.

[SI.com] Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks land ace over rival Dodgers, Giants - Mere hours ago the idea of the Dodgers and Giants scrambling to catch up while the Diamondbacks were sitting pretty seemed absurd, but that appears to be where we are. The Diamondbacks are no longer sleepers in the NL West. With one outlandish signing, they have gone from up-and-coming to a legitimate power in their division, such that I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Dodgers finish third in 2016. Of course, there are many more moves to be made between then and now. Nonetheless, the balance of power in the NL West has unquestionably been altered.

[AZ Central] Greinke agrees to 6-year, $206.5M deal with Diamondbacks - Greinke is the ace the Diamondbacks have sought all offseason, and he figures to make them instant contenders. Backed by a lineup of prime-age players who scored the second-most runs in the National League this year and rated among the best defensive teams in baseball, Greinke will lead a rotation that also includes Patrick Corbin, Robbie Ray and Rubby De La Rosa. And the Diamondbacks might not be done adding starters.

[Dan Bickley[ Diamondbacks signing Zack Greinke could be game-changer - The stunning signing of Zack Greinke gives the Diamondbacks exactly what they need: an ace in the rotation and a rare headline during football season. This could be a game-changer in the Valley. Greinke is among the best pitchers in baseball. He will trigger a spike in season-ticket sales. He represents a huge victory for Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick, who just landed a top-tier free agent, the kind that has too often eluded the Diamondbacks and the neighboring Suns.

[MLB.com] Zack Greinke makes Arizona NL West contender - Signing Greinke doesn't, by itself, hand Arizona the NL West... It certainly makes it a three-team race, though. That's not something that could have been said about the NL West in a while. The D-backs, owners of one above-.500 season in the past seven years, with only one playoff series victory since winning the World Series in 2001, have hope.

[McCovey Chronicles] Zack Greinke signs six-year deal with Diamondbacks - In three years, the Diamondbacks are going to still owe Greinke $120 million, and he might be Jake Peavy, give or take. Acceptable, but a drag on their budget. This is kind of their big shot, and they can't afford to miss. This is ludicrous money for nonsensical years, and there's going to be a point where the Giants are glad they aren't dealing with it. Unfortunately, that point isn't going to be next year, when they'll really, really, really, really want Greinke.

[CBS Sports] Zack Greinke signing makes Diamondbacks sneaky contender - With the young position players who can both rake and pick it -- yard work guys, apparently -- in addition to the spending power, this has the look of a proverbial sleeping giant that decided to wake up with the Greinke signing... One of the NL's best offensive and defensive teams just added one of the league's best starting pitchers and can add more. If you aren't taking them seriously yet, you better start. These Snakes are starting to look a bit scary.

[ESPN] Zack Greinke surprises by signing with Arizona Diamondbacks - This easily could be a five- or six-win upgrade over the pitchers Greinke is displacing (at least for 2016). And it certainly makes the D-backs players in the NL West and wild-card race, especially if they can add another veteran pitcher -- will they also be in on Japanese star Kenta Maeda? -- and add a reliever or two and maybe get better production from second base. But maybe the best part of this, unless you're a Dodgers fan: A big star didn't go to one of the biggest markets. And that's good for the game.

[LA Times] Zack Greinke signs six-year, $206.5-million deal with Arizona - Will the Dodgers miss the playoffs next year? The question gained a significant amount of gravity Friday, as the Dodgers received word that Zack Greinke wouldn't return next season. Greinke's departure figures to be a setback for the Dodgers, whose rotation now consists of Clayton Kershaw and a series of wild cards... The Dodgers were 23-9 in games started by Greinke. They were 69-61 in games started by anyone else.

[FanGraphs] Diamondbacks Sign Zack Greinke, NL West Gets More Interesting - Before, Arizona was in a dead heat with the Marlins for the 24th-best projected rotation. Now, they’re in a dead heat for 14th overall. That’s a lot better than where they were 24 hours ago.. Dbacks fans can be elated tonight. The Dbacks had to give up the 13th pick in the coming draft to net Greinke, but that is a small price to pay for landing one of the top pitchers in the game. And again, he’s not just good at pitching. he is good at hitting. Oh, and fielding, too.

[MLB] D-backs players react to Zack Greinke signing - Outfielder A.J. Pollock was also caught off guard. "I was stunned," he said. "Really don't have any words to describe the fact that we're getting Greinke. I guess the first thing that went through my head was I'm absolutely ecstatic that I don't have to face him." Pollock is 3-for-12 in his career against Greinke. "He's a nightmare to game plan for," added Pollock. "For me, he's the toughest pitcher to face in the league. So it's always good to add those guys to your team."

[Keith Law] Greinke should provide Diamondbacks value even at this price tag - "The Diamondbacks need to see some offense from their middle infield and they need to add at least one more starter; the latter move would push either Rubby De La Rosa or Patrick Corbin to the bullpen, where they might provide the late-game relief option the team needs." Almost as amazing as Greinke signing with AZ, is people actually paid ESPN to read the previous sentence.

I'll save Twitter reactions for a later piece [breakfast is calling...], but let's just drop Daniel Hudson in here...

The uniforms must've sealed the deal. Suck it haters

— Daniel Hudson (@DHuddy41) December 5, 2015