OK, I said the Arizona Diamondbacks paid too much for Shelby Miller. Keith Law said they paid too much. Buster Olney wrote: "Rival execs in awe of the package of players Atlanta got from Arizona."

That doesn't mean the D-backs didn't accomplish what they wanted: Zack Greinke and Miller will be a big upgrade over what Jeremy Hellickson and a collection of fifth starters provided in 2015. As Keith said, however, "It's one thing to win now. It's another thing to just give away surplus value."

That said, the Atlanta Braves didn't necessarily get a guaranteed return. Maybe Ender Inciarte’s bat was a fluke. Maybe Aaron Blair is a back-of-the-rotation starter. Maybe Dansby Swanson, even though he was the No. 1 overall pick, doesn't develop into a star. He does come with a big red flag: He struck out more than he walked at Vanderbilt in 2015, unusual for an elite college hitter. See this piece I wrote on Mike Zunino back in August. Like Swanson, Zunino struck out more than he walked in college and has obviously struggled to hit at the major league level.

It's also important to note that the Diamondbacks are still very young. Catcher Welington Castillo, who will be 29, is the oldest projected regular. Other than Greinke, the projected rotation is all 28 or younger. Brad Ziegler and Josh Collmenter are the only primary relievers 30 or older.

Jeff Wiser does a great job writing about the Diamondbacks at the Inside the 'Zona site. Here is part of his take on the trade:

And frankly, Swanson and Blair just didn't matter all that much at this juncture for this team. They couldn't afford to give half a season to Blair to see if he could handle the majors. Dansby Swanson wasn't going to be around until 2017 at the earliest. They were viewed and treated as spare parts. You're more than welcome to take exception to that and for good reason. Both are quality players long-term, both have significant value. But where Arizona is right now, they just weren't vital. You can ask yourself if you'd rather have Aaron Blair as your Opening Day #5 or Shelby Miller as your Opening Day #2/3 and the answer should be pretty obvious. Losing Swanson hurts the system, but by the time that he's matured, the golden hour will have passed. I loved me some Ender Inciarte, but there are other capable outfielders to fill his shoes with Yasmany Tomas and Socrates Brito as obvious answers with Peter O'Brien still lurking. I'll hope for a breakout from one of the first two and pray that the team doesn’t have to resort to the third.

Jeff adds, "There’s no use in saving this until the end, so I'll just say it. When you give Zack Greinke $206 million dollars, this is a move you need to make. Period. Are the Diamondbacks taking the short side of the deal? Probably. But does this help their chances in playing October baseball each of the next few seasons? Without a doubt."

So there's a smart Diamondbacks fan who is OK with the trade. They now have depth in the rotation, enough that maybe Rubby De La Rosa moves to the bullpen, where he has the stuff to be a dominant reliever. As Jeff writes, in a best-case scenario, the Diamondbacks have one of the best rotations in the league; in a worst-case scenario, it's still a couple of wins better than the 2015 group.

I'm not a fan of Tomas; I'm skeptical he'll hit enough to cancel out poor defense. Maybe Brito eventually wins the job in right field. More offense from shortstop and second base would certainly help. The Dodgers and Giants certainly aren't done tinkering this offseason.

It's easy to make fun of Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa and their analytic shortcomings. But maybe they're putting together a team that can wrest the NL West away from their upscale rivals on the coast.