Diamondbacks undergo dramatic turnaround
PHOENIX — Some say the Arizona Diamondbacks are ahead of schedule, advancing to the World Series with a young roster that was supposed to need a few more years of seasoning before hitting the sport’s biggest stage.
Manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen have a different perspective.
The two friends and colleagues have navigated a difficult five years — both personally and professionally — that have made the D-backs’ improbable run to the Fall Classic even sweeter.
“Trust me when I say there were some real hardships,” Lovullo said on Tuesday night after the D-backs beat the Phillies 4-2 in Game 7 of the NLCS. “There were some very dark days in my career.”
The Diamondbacks had a 52-110 record just two seasons ago, sinking to the cellar of the NL West in ugly fashion. A couple rough seasons during a rebuild is common in baseball in these days, but Arizona’s nadir felt even worse in the sense that the franchise wasn’t even trying to tank. They were just terrible.
Prior to the 2020 season, they gave an $85 million, five-year deal to veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner that didn’t pan out. Smaller contracts in 2021 for veteran relievers like Joakim Soria and Tyler Clippard were essentially a sunk cost, too. Some of the team’s younger players like Ketel Marte and Christian Walker regressed.
And then the players the organization let go often seemed to blossom. They dealt lefty Robbie Ray to the
Blue Jays in 2020, and he went on to win a Cy Young Award with Toronto in 2021.
The D-backs were cursed with a reverse Midas touch.
Arizona’s presiden Derrick Hall admits that earlier in his career, he might have made a change. But Hall said he “had a hunch” that his patience would be rewarded.
“We have always had great confidence in both,” Hall said. “Mike has had a plan and we believed he deserved the time to see it play out. And Torey keeps getting better and better. He is a players’ manager and those guys love playing for him.”
Hazen’s made several moves since that ugly 2021 season that have been vital. He traded rising star Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who both immediately became important pieces.
He inked veteran Evan Longoria to a $4 million, one-year deal to help bring leadership to a young clubhouse. He also traded for closer Paul Sewald and outfielder Tommy Pham at the trade deadline, with both providing big moments. Sewald, in particular, has been brilliant in these playoffs, throwing eight scoreless innings and converting all six save opportunties.
And maybe most importantly, Hazen had the foresight to sign rookie Corbin Carroll to an $111 million, eight-year deal during spring training, cementing the 23-year-old as the team’s main building block.
Two years after nothing went right, everything has gone right.
“I won’t speak for other people, but I thought it would take a little more time,” Carroll said. “So to be able to do it in this first year just makes it all the more special.”