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Diamondbacks Extend Manager Torey Lovullo After Near-Miss Playoff Season
By Drooid · · How we work
Decision to Retain Torey Lovullo
Arizona announced that manager Torey Lovullo will return on a two-year contract that runs parallel to general manager Mike Hazen’s tenure. The move, reported by Nick Piecoro, was presented as a choice for continuity rather than a managerial overhaul. The organization said a press conference will be held later Thursday to elaborate on the decision.
Recent Season Performance
The Diamondbacks finished the campaign with an 86-76 record, placing them two games short of the National League wild-card spot. This marks the third consecutive season the club has fallen just outside the postseason after a World Series appearance in 2023. Lovullo’s decade-long tenure includes six winning seasons, a Manager of the Year award in 2017, and two postseason trips, one of which culminated in the 2023 World Series run.
Factors Behind Missing the Postseason
Analysts highlighted the team’s placement in a division dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a structural obstacle. Midseason setbacks further hampered the push: All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte missed a game at Fenway Park in August, later entered the injured list with a knee issue, and was absent for three subsequent series. The Diamondbacks dropped two games to Boston and lost at least one game in each of the following three series, outcomes that critics suggest could have been different with Marte in the lineup.
Organizational Context and Future Plans
General manager Mike Hazen, who hired Lovullo for the 2017 season to replace Chip Hale, now faces the task of translating managerial stability into a playoff berth. The front office’s stated goal is to convert the team’s competitive regular-season performance into a return to October, emphasizing that another near miss would intensify scrutiny of the franchise’s direction.