Diamondbacks Manager Reacts to Randal Grichuk Trade

On Saturday, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk was seen hugging his teammates in the dugout in the fifth inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He'd been traded to the Kansas City Royals.

In return, Arizona received right-hand reliever Andrew Hoffmann.

Related Content: Diamondbacks Trade Platoon Outfielder to Royals for Reliever

Such is the nature of baseball, especially for a team like the Diamondbacks, who kicked off their Deadline activities by trading Josh Naylor to the Mariners on Thursday.

Speaking to D-backs.TV's Todd Walsh following the game, manager Torey Lovullo gave his thoughts on the trade, and revealed the message he gave to Grichuk following the news.

Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo Reacts to Randal Grichuk Trade

"It was a little bit sad," Lovullo said.

"[We] had to say goodbye to him, somebody that's been a big part of this organization for a year and a half. He understands our concepts, he understands what it means to be a D-back.

"You get the call in the middle of the game, I've had it happen a couple times since I've been in pro ball, but it's not anything you're really prepared for. We had to get the news out to him and get him on his way to Kansas City," Lovullo said.

Lovullo said he thanked Grichuk for his time in Arizona as the outfielder left. Despite desiring a more full-time role, Grichuk did his job admirably when called upon, as infrequent as it often was.

"I thanked him. I thanked him for his effort. I thanked him for his big moments. I thanked him for being patient with us. He wanted to play every day, but he had a role here, and he filled that role perfectly.

"He was a great teammate, and when he walked in that dugout, to hold his head up high and say goodbye and understand that we'll meet again, everybody will be in the same place at the same time. That's how this game works," Lovullo said.

Grichuk ends his D-backs tenure with a .272/.320/.501 slash and 19 homers in 465 plate appearances while playing solid outfield defense.

Arizona Diamondbacks Eugenio Suárez Slumps

The bigger trade prize, however, has had some difficulty at the plate lately.

The D-backs have been flooded with trade interest over third baseman Eugenio Suárez, with new teams seemingly inquiring on the slugger each day.

Suárez, however, has expressed a repeated desire to stay in Arizona, and hasn't looked like himself offensively in recent games.

After posting back-to-back two-homer games to open the second half, Suárez has gone just 1-for-17 in his last three games with eight strikeouts, and even botched a routine ground ball on Saturday.

Even for someone as mentally tough and consistent as Suárez, it's hard to keep the trade thoughts from creeping in. Lovullo was steadfast in his support of Suárez, however.

"I check in on him from time to time, and he seems to be in a very good frame of mind," Lovullo said.

"I know, you know, everybody in baseball is clearly aware of the things that are going on around the Arizona Diamondbacks right now, including the players. I think he's doing a magnificent job of trying to block it out.

"It wasn't a great day for him, I'm aware of that, but I'll take the good with the bad. He's a phenomenal player, and he's having a phenomenal year," the skipper continued.

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