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Off-Field News
D-backs are named among top places to work
Somehow, despite being forced to work in what surely must be approaching third-world conditions requiring millions of dollars in repairs, the Arizona Diamondbacks are yet again one of the best places in Arizona to work.
Tomas' Offseason Work Paying Off for D-backs
Of interest (to me, anyway) was that Chip Hale is quoted as saying that he didn't really lose weight so much as "redistribute" it. That flies directly in the face of him being "on-track" to reach his weight-loss goal that we heard at the start of spring. Honestly, this sounds like somebody said "he's hitting, let's get some sound bites out there about how happy we are about him, and see where it takes us."
The Arizona Diamondbacks Should Have Waited to Address Lease Issues
The opinion piece on KTAR's website does address some concerns, but the buzz around the team also made this the perfect time for the team to bring it up. And since playing in sewage doesn't seem to have hurt the A's too much, playing in a stadium with a leaking roof and HVAC issue should surely be a walk in the (ball)park.
Forbes Values Diamondbacks at $925 million
The Diamondbacks are now the 18th most valuable MLB franchise. Hey, I've got an idea! Why doesn't the county just give the stadium to the Diamondbacks, and the D-backs can bring on another partner to raise the capital for improvements!
BBTN 100: Top 10 at every position
Featuring Diamondbacks at three defensive positions, and Greinke at starting pitchers, although Greinke "isn't deserving of a top-ten [overall] spot" according to the talking heads. Clearly, playing for the Diamondbacks requires a downward adjustment of at least 5 spots, meaning that if Paul Goldschmidt played for another team, he would be the best player in baseball by so much, there would be a gap left between him and #1.
On-Field News
2016 Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks
NBC Sports' Hardball Talk gets around to previewing the Diamondbacks, with a familiar refrain.
Greinke, Pollock Work in Minors Test
This is a bit of older news, but got lost in the stadium news of the other day. Pollock believes he'll be ready for opening day, and with Tomas and Herrmann also appearing to be ready, the Diamondbacks could be at full strength. That would certainly be a nice way to start the season, although of course it won't last.
Competition is Close for D-backs Final Bullpen Spot
In which the possibility of carrying 13 pitchers is brought up. That would solve the bullpen decision problem, but would make other roster decisions even more difficult. Tuffy Gosewisch would almost certainly start in Reno with that being the case, as you really couldn't carry three catchers. Or five outfielders. Brandon Drury would almost certainly start in Reno in that case, too.