Snake Bytes, 2/7: No more football

Team news

[dbacks.com] D-backs embracing many changes for '17 season - What will be different for the Arizona Diamondbacks when pitchers and catchers report to Salt River Fields on Monday? Everything. OK, maybe not everything, but a lot has changed since last the last time fans watched the team go through its spring drills. Here's a look at some of what is different.

[FOX Sports] D-backs' Greinke: Staying or going? The answer, for now, is "staying." But the question remains: For how long? At the moment, Greinke is drawing minimal trade interest, according to major-league sources. The D-backs, in turn, are not marketing him aggressively, in part because they are reluctant to eat salary, sources said... Rival executives believe that the D-backs can not carry Greinke’s salary long-term, particularly if they intend to sign first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to a lucrative contract extension.

[Sports on Earth] Four underrated MLB teams to keep an eye on - [First up = the Diamondbacks] The new regime possibly sold high on Segura and excess outfielder Haniger to the Mariners, bringing back the more youthful upside of Walker for the rotation and Marte for the shortstop spot. It was a move that addressed the long-term without compromising much, if any, of the short, because a change of scenery could do the athletic Walker good, and Marte looked like a sleeper shortstop stud before a variety of injuries and a bout with mononucleosis saddled him in '16.

[Inside the 'Zona] Starting Pitching Showcases Depth, Questions - There are more starting pitcher candidates than there are rotation spots. That’s obviously not uncommon, but the amount of depth is pretty staggering. Not all of that depth is all that good, but it’s there. With the normal five slots in mind, let’s take a look at who’s got a spot locked up, who’s a likely addition, and who may find themselves on the outside looking in.

[FanGraphs] The Diamondbacks Built a Super Rotation, Sort Of - This is a group that doesn’t look terribly impressive based on their actual track records, but the talent is there and they’re all young enough (aside from Greinke) that you wouldn’t be shocked to seem them take a step forward... If you take into account what we thought about these very young pitchers just a couple years ago, it’s easier to talk yourself into a surprising year from the Snakes.

[12NEWS.com] Former D-Backs pitcher helps plan Phoenix Open - Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher J.J. Putz played a major part in planning this year's Waste Management Phoenix Open. As the Chairman of House and Grounds, Putz oversees a group in charge of all the structures on the course, including the iconic 16th hole. "I've got five guys in our crew and we have a bunch of other vendors and partners that are out here pretty much since October," said Putz. "It's amazing to be able to be on this side and to be able to see how this all comes together."

And, elsewhere...

[Yahoo!] What if Tom Brady had decided to pursue baseball? - Brady was so impressive on the diamond that long-time MLB scout John Hughes talked the Montreal Expos into drafting the left-handed hitting catcher in the 18th round of the 1995 draft. In a 2015 interview with MLB.com, Hughes added that had it not been obvious that Brady was going to pursue football, he would have been a fifth round selection. The irony there being that Brady would be drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft.

[ESPN] MLB proposes scrapping intentional walk, raising strike zone - Is this the year baseball raises the strike zone? Is it the year the sport does away with the practice of lobbing four balls toward home plate to issue an intentional walk? Major League Baseball has made formal proposals to the players' union to usher in both of those changes, sources told ESPN.com. Neither of those innovations can be implemented without approval of the Major League Baseball Players Association. The union is currently in the process of feeling out players on the proposed changes, sources said.

[The Ringer] Baseball’s Ever-Expiring Secrets - Hacking aside, what would constitute acting improperly, when someone with knowledge of one team’s intellectual property migrates to another team? And second: What can teams do to preserve their IP when they’re liable to lose their most promising personnel to direct competitors?

[ESPN] New York Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman's secret, exposed - Robert Gsellman had a secret: He couldn't swing. He had a partially torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder. It would be repaired with arthroscopic surgery in the offseason. But there were, as it turned out, 17 plate appearances between that debut and the offseason, 17 times Gsellman had to take a bat, two batting gloves, a thick wad of bubble gum and a secret into the batter's box, for the most extraordinary experiment of the 2016 baseball season.