While I'm of the mind that the likely Greinke deal was not one I'd like, I might give Riz a little credit if, in his honest assessment, he viewed Lombardozzi as Desmond's long-term 2d base partner and he thought Ramos would be a full time catcher. That makes both Norris and Espinosa expendable. It would then come down to the JZ v. Greinke element, and Greinke is established and under control for 2 years, while JZ was a toss up and under control for 4 - 5 years. I still think too much of JZ to do the deal even if he's right about Lombardozzi and Ramos / flores, but I think it was a call based on his view of the surplus as far as position players goes.
These were great comments JCA. The strength of the minor league system, if there is one, lies in the middle infielders (plus Bryce Harper). We do also seem to have a surplus of ML caliber catchers. I do agree with you that giving up JZ was probably too much to give on top of both Norris and Espinosa.
I don't know if Storen factored into the deal, but relievers are generally replaceable - even really good relievers.
