Dear Arizona Diamondbacks: It’s time for a change.
And by change, that doesn’t mean moving on from manager Torey Lovullo, whose contract expires following the team’s season finale at the San Diego Padres on Sunday, Sept. 27.
I’m referring to “change” by not only retaining Lovullo beyond this season but signing him to a multiyear contract of at least three seasons. Bringing him back on yet another one-year deal is no longer going to cut it and heck, I wouldn’t blame Lovullo a bit if he were to turn down that offer.
The franchise’s winningest manager deserves some security and some real respect.
And that goes for me no matter if the Diamondbacks were still alive or eliminated in their mad pursuit of trying to capture a wild-card spot in the National
League. Lovullo is already assured of his sixth winning season in his 10 years, and although his teams have reached the postseason only twice before this (including a 2023 World Series run), they’ve been in contention for three years in a row.
Entering Friday, Sept. 25, Lovullo’s Diamondbacks were a season-high 11 games above .500 and coming off a three-game sweep in Denver over the Colorado Rockies. It was Arizona’s first series sweep at Coors Field since 2018.
But sweeping Lovullo out of the Valley? I don’t think so.
If the Diamondbacks were to let him walk, there most assuredly will be a handful of MLB clubs ready to snatch Lovullo up and make him their next skipper. He can afford to take a year off and still return with another team after the 2027 season, too.
The players, including star catcher Gabriel Moreno, support Lovullo and want him back.
"Yes, of course, yes," Moreno told The Arizona Republic this week. "I feel he deserves to keep his job as manager. He gives us a lot of confidence, each one of us. At the end of the day we play and all that.
"But I think he's done a good job here, and well, I count on his support a lot, and he gives me a lot of confidence at the plate and lets me do my work."
All types of scenarios appear to be on the table, although Lovullo himself has said he expects this to be his swan song if the Diamondbacks don’t go to the playoffs.
Then again, don’t underestimate the pull he has with the franchise’s front office. General manager Mike Hazen has made no secret how much he likes, appreciates and wants Lovullo around. And just earlier this week, team president and CEO Derrick Hall said this might be Lovullo’s finest performance yet.
“This year is probably his best year,” Hall told Arizona Sports 98.7. “You could look at ’23 getting into the World Series, and there’s a lot of criticism toward him saying, ‘Well look, you came up a game short, then you came up two games short.’ Don’t you want to be in it every year? ...
“So, I mean Torey’s done a great job for us and he continues to.”
Hazen and Hall will obviously have a say, but ultimately the decision on whether to retain Lovullo or not — if it hasn’t been determined already — rests with team owner Ken Kendrick. I’ve had plenty of conversations with Kendrick over the years but honestly, I have absolutely no idea where he stands on Lovullo’s situation.
I think I know this, however: Lovullo’s future in Arizona is probably somehow tied to what the Diamondbacks do with their mercurial second baseman, Ketel Marte. They could decide to move forward with each of them, although I’m on record as stating Marte has outstayed his welcome because of his history of skipping out on the team.
Bringing in a hard-ass manager to deal with Marte isn’t the answer, either, because the days of hard-ass managers are mostly gone in Major League Baseball.
Lovullo has bravely tried to defend Marte at every turn and you can tell he truly cares about the player and knows him as well as anyone. But trading Marte would take time and even though I fully expect there to be some willing trade partners, the Diamondbacks can’t wait that long to make their decision about Lovullo.
So, let’s make this easy, Diamondbacks.
Sign Torey Lovullo to a contract extension and please, let’s not make it another one-year deal. He doesn’t need to be in a lame-duck situation again. It simply puts too much pressure on a manager who is already under yearly duress of finding ways to win because of a roster not always suited for postseason contention.
That’s on management and ownership, even though they broke the bank and rolled the dice last offseason on starting pitcher Corbin Burnes, who wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery. But Lovullo — and his players — deserve some peace and a real commitment.
“I think we’ve got a decision to make, but all that will come into play,” Hall told Arizona Sports. " ... And again, he’s never complained. He still bounced back the next year, and I think he’s been a terrific manager.”
It’s time to make a change. Bring back Lovullo and give him a multiyear contract.
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic .Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Right move for Diamondbacks on Torey Lovullo an easy call | Opinion
