The changes in Arizona have baseball writers buzzing from coast to coast. The D'Backs announced last night that they have replaced GM Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch with Jerry Dipoto and Kirk Gibson – at least for now. Here are some reactions to the D'Backs' dismissals:
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the D'Backs fired Byrnes because of his decisions, not because he was backing Hinch (Twitter link).
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the relationship between Byrnes and D'Backs CEO Derrick Hall may have contributed to the GM's dismissal.
- Chris Snyder told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that it was "definitely time for a change." Brandon Webb says he's sure interim manager Kirk Gibson will do well.
- Frankie Piliere of FanHouse hears that Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer will get serious consideration for the GM opening in Arizona (Twitter link).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that A.J. Hinch is well-respected in the game and won't have trouble getting another job (Twitter link).
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan has a new twist on Byrnes' phrase 'organizational advocacy.'
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the D'Backs "royally screwed up" if they made changes because of their record over the course of the past few years.
- Vote on the decision here and tell us what you think in the comments.
