Snake Bytes, 2/6: We're Super (Bowl), thanks for asking...

Team news

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks consider shifting Yasmany Tomas to LF - The Diamondbacks are considering rearranging the alignment of their outfield, potentially having left fielder David Peralta and right fielder Yasmany Tomas trade places, manager Chip Hale said Friday. "We’re definitely talking about it," Hale said. "(Outfield coach) Dave McKay and I, (General Manager Dave Stewart) and (Chief Baseball Officer) Tony (La Russa), we think it might be best to switch them around."

[FanGraphs] You Should Believe In David Peralta - Last season, David Peralta made improvements with regard to contact quality and distribution. He hit the ball hard, and he hit the ball everywhere, and what I like about that is it makes Peralta difficult to exploit. Every hitter has weaknesses, but Peralta’s are more difficult to find, because he doesn’t whiff too often, and he can go with a pitch just as well as he can yank it. He’s blessed with quick hands and plate coverage, and to me, that all makes him an excellent bet to remain a quietly excellent outfielder.

[Arizona Sports] ESPN's Olney: Yasmany Tomas is D-backs' 'linchpin player' - With all the D-backs added to the roster — along with Greinke and Miller they also acquired shortstop Jean Segura — it is someone who was already on the team who ESPN MLB reporter Buster Olney views as their "linchpin player." In a piece for ESPN Insider, Olney presented one player from 14 different teams who might not be a sure thing, but is, at the same time, most vital to any chances of success, and his choice for the D-backs is Yasmany Tomas.

[NumberFire] Why Did the Diamondbacks Trade for Jean Segura? - I've been high on Arizona this offseason. This is a team that is ready to make the playoffs after the additions of Greinke and Shelby Miller, and perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt and lead-off hitter extraordinaire A.J. Pollock on the roster. But it's hard to figure out exactly what the D-Backs think they're getting with this one.

[Baseball Essential] Diamondbacks Trade for Segura: When Does This Team Want to Win? - When Kevin Towers was in charge of baseball operations and was making similar moves, it was seen as "mortgaging the future," and understandably so. At the time, the D-Backs weren’t ready to win, and he was trading valuable assets for inconsistent veterans (like Jarrod Parker for Trevor Cahill). The D-Backs are in a different position now, and these moves should be welcomed, and the fan base should be excited. But if Stewart continues to flip flop on his strategy, the fans and the players won’t know when the franchise wants to win, and that is not good for anybody.

Minor-league notes

[El Meridiano] Se mueve el mercado para Jordan Díaz - If my Spanish (well, Mrs. SnakePit's Spanish) doesn't fail me, looks like the Diamondbacks made an offer of $150,000 for young prospect Jordan Diaz, a 15-year-old Colombian prospect who plays 3rd-base, and is currently at a sports academy in Santo Domingo. He was one of three to go through tryouts for the D-backs. Seems young; I presume he will not be "officially" signed until he turns 16, and it's still only a first offer. [H/T Josh Jones]

[RGJ.com] Matt Williams optimistic on Aces, D’backs - Bob Gebhard, the Diamondbacks vice president said the Diamondbacks have high expectations this season due to all their offseason activity. "We made a lot of moves this winter at the Major League level that will have a fallout effect on the Reno club," Gebhard said. "It’s wide open. In the 12 years I’ve been here, this will be the most competitive spring training that we’ve ever had. And that will have a favorable effect on the Reno roster."

[KRNV] D'Backs VP talks about former Pack hurler Braden Shipley - Shipley has put the time in at the lower levels of the Arizona organization and appears primed for a showing in Triple-A in 2016. At the Reno Aces annual Hot Stove Luncheon on Monday, we had a chance to catch up with D'Backs Vice President/Special Assistant to the General Manger Bob Gebhard, who said that "Ship" is right on schedule.

[Kane County Chronicle] Weekend Chit-chat with Kane County Cougars General Manager Curtis Haug - I’m looking forward to 2016 season because the team below us, Hillsboro, won a championship. So we’re anticipating some good players from Hillsboro and expect to give our fans another great year. It’s really a new chapter for the Kane County Cougars. A new brand, a new identity, new logo, colors and uniforms, so it’s a big year for us. Coming off our 25th anniversary season, it’s like a brand new chapter that we hope we can set for the next 25 years.

And elsewhere

[Daily Wildcat] Arizona baseball alumni game a success - The Arizona baseball team held its annual alumni game on Saturday at Hi Corbett Field. Close to 180 alumni and former coaches were in attendance for the event, including former coach Andy Lopez who was honored before the game. The two coaches of the alumni teams were Arizona Diamondbacks head coach and member of the 1986 national championship team Chip Hale and San Diego Padres hitting coach Alan Zinter. The two skippers were teammates while playing at Arizona.

[AP] Carlos Quentin to try comeback with Twins - Outfielder Carlos Quentin and the Minnesota Twins have agreed to a minor league contract, giving the 33-year-old a chance to revive his career. Quentin announced his retirement last May through the Seattle Mariners, citing chronic knee injuries. He played briefly for their Triple-A club Tacoma.

[ESPN] Parity in Major League Baseball a result of post-steroids aging curve - The younger talent skews, the more likely that small-market teams like the Royals and Pirates can compete on a consistent basis. Younger talent is cheaper, and teams control players through the first six years of their major-league service. By the time they hit free agency, they're older. In the steroids era, older players continued performing at a high level. They were expensive but less risky. Now veteran talent is still expensive but more risky. That levels the playing field to a large degree.