SnakeBytes, 1/3: Happy NewYear

Team news

[dbacks.com] D-backs looking for better results in 2017 - Mike Hazen could have come in and torn apart the D-backs' core this winter and started fresh following a disappointing 69-93 season, but after looking at what he inherited, Hazen decided it was wiser to tinker around the edges. "We had plenty of opportunities to make changes," Hazen said as the Winter Meetings wrapped up. "But ultimately we didn't feel like any of those were the right thing to do for us. Some of those situations, maybe in the future, but right now nothing really made sense on the larger trade front. I think when you have this level of talent, you start to focus on what you can do to bring that talent

[MLB Trade Rumors] 3 Remaining Needs: National League West - Left-Handed Reliever: The top two southpaw options in the Arizona pen, presently, are Andrew Chafin and Steve Hathaway... Bottom line: depth, at a minimum, would be desirable. The D-Backs have already shown a willingness to draw a player by offering a role, when they signed Fernando Rodney to step in as the closer, and that approach may pay dividends here as well (even if it means waiting to see what players shake loose during camp).

[Inside the 'Zona] Fitting Outfield Pieces Together - With Peter O’Brien designated for assignment to make room for Juan Graterol, the team now has just six players on its 40-man roster listed at the position, and that includes Brandon Drury, who has been told to focus on second base this offseason. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if as many as ten outfielders took the field for the team this year. How the playing time actually breaks down will depend on too many factors to guess right now but we can look at how priorities will affect those decisions as they arise.

[AZ Central] Trade coming of O'Brien? - [Mostly a reminder: since he was DFA'd on Dec 23, we should hear very soon about O'Brien's fate; today or tomorrow, most likely] Slugger Peter O’Brien, whom the club designated for assignment last week to clear space for Graterol, has drawn interest from rival clubs and is likely to be traded, Hazen said. Hazen said O’Brien has received interest not only from clubs in the American League, in which he could see time at designated hitter, but also from NL teams.

[MiLB.com] D-backs' top prospects make strides in '16 - The season began with massive expectations for the D-backs, who shelled out big money to nab Zack Greinke in the free agent market and packaged a group of top prospects -- including 2015 first-round pick Dansby Swanson -- to acquire Shelby Miller. Things did not go according to plan. While Arizona wrapped up the big league campaign in fourth place in the National League West, there are signs that a brighter future might be closer than many think. The D-backs saw a host of high-level prospects, including right-handers Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley, take steps toward -- and to -- the Majors this year.

And, elsewhere...

[CBSSports] Five weird things that happened in baseball in 2016 that we might never see again - Baseball, moreso than any other sport, is prone to the unexpected and the unusual. I've watched an embarrassing amount of baseball in my life and yet most days I still see something I've never seen before. That's what makes this game great. No sport is more GIF-able than baseball. That's for sure. So, with the calendar set to turn over to 2017, let's look back at five of the weirdest moments from this past season. These are things we truly may never see happen again.

Hall of Fame Voters Soften Stance on Stars of Steroids Era - The New York Times - In a sudden and surprising shift of sentiment, the baseball writers who vote to decide who should be inducted into the Hall, and who should not, appear to be backing away from their punitive approach to Bonds and Clemens, and perhaps others as well.

[Boston Herald] Curt Schilling: Trump support shutting me out in Hall bid - Former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling blasted Baseball Hall of Fame voters for rejecting him based on his tweets and support of Donald Trump, saying he’d be a lock for Cooperstown if he had opposed the incoming president. "I promise you, if I had said ‘Lynch Trump,’ I’d be getting in with 90 percent of the vote this year," Schilling told TMZ yesterday.