Insider Predicts Manager Change for Diamondbacks

Win or lose, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has to get up in front of the media and face his decisions daily. Naturally, that lends itself to significant division among fans as to the job being done by Lovullo.

Some vehemently insist that changes must be made, while other insist the opposite. Welcome to the life of an MLB manager.

But in a recent article, ESPN insider Buster Olney took a look at a handful of MLB clubs that could look to make a managerial change.

Given the circumstances of the 2025 season, it was somewhat of a surprise to see the D-backs — and subsequently Lovullo — listed among those teams.

ESPN Insider Predicts Diamondbacks' Managerial Change

"It seems almost silly to include Lovullo on this list, given the devastating injuries incurred by the D-backs' pitching staff this year and the fact that they played in the World Series just two years ago," Olney wrote.

"But Arizona owner Ken Kendrick is known to be a challenging boss, someone who demands answers from those who work for him, leaving the door open for change.

"However, Lovullo is very close with head of baseball operations Mike Hazen -- to the degree that if you ranked the symbiosis of GMs and their managers among the 30 teams, a rival exec agreed that Hazen and Lovullo would be No. 1. Presumably, the desire for a change at manager would have to come from Kendrick."

Olney himself doesn't seem particularly convinced about Lovullo being on the hot seat, but the underperformance of 2025 could lend itself to unrest within the organization.

So it doesn't seem particularly likely that Kendrick will be demanding a front-office change — at least, not after what Arizona has had to endure in 2025 independent of Lovullo's influence.

There has been no report of any dissatisfaction from Kendrick with regard to the job being done by Lovullo as of this writing, but no job is ever perfectly safe in the major leagues when results are not being seen.

Lovullo has willingly shouldered his own portion of the blame for the way 2025 has progressed, and Hazen has done the same, standing up for the club's manager in the process.

Related Content: Diamondbacks' GM Defends Torey Lovullo

When it's all said and done, it's also important to remember managerial changes are not the result of a manager making a pitching decision or a lineup construction that doesn't pan out. Those are not the factors GMs or owners take into account when hiring or firing managers.

What can be said about this D-backs team is they haven't given up yet. That much is clear. Arizona is still fighting for every game and playing for Lovullo.

When the effort disappears or the culture begins to take a serious decline, that is when decisions are more imminent.

With so many unpredictable and devastating injuries, it's hard to use the D-backs' record as leverage against their manager. The fact that they're even still mathematically alive is not an insignificant factor, either.

It's also worth noting that back in 2010, GM Josh Byrnes was reportedly fired for refusing to fire manager A.J. Hinch.

That is to say, considering the close relationship between Arizona's current GM and manager, a potential departure for Lovullo would likely signal the departure of Hazen as well.

It doesn't seem likely that Hazen would cut ties with Lovullo, nor does it seem likely Kendrick would part with both Hazen and Lovullo for the time being.

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