Derrick Hall isn’t pretending the season was perfect. The D-backs president and CEO said the club fell short by not reaching the postseason, but he still called the year a success because Arizona stayed in the NL Wild Card chase until the final day despite a wave of injuries to key players.
“I believe the season was a success with all of our injuries and how manager Torey Lovullo had us in it until the last minute,” Hall said. “I am never happy about not making the postseason, but we had roster challenges all year and there was great creativity displayed by our baseball executives.
We also took advantage of playing our young and talented prospects from the Minors to plug some holes. They proved they can be here and gained tremendous experience in critical games.
I also give a strong nod to our bullpen, which became a strength. Playing meaningful games in September is what you want.”
Hall also took time to reflect on the organization’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, which included a reunion in September. He said the weekend landed exactly the way the team hoped it would.
“It was as wonderful a tribute and celebration as I have seen for a reunion,” Hall said. “Our staff did a spectacular job.
The feedback from the former players and staff who attended the weekend's events was tremendous. They are family and I believe they felt it while returning.
It was very special for our loyal fans too.”
Looking ahead, Hall said he expects the payroll to come down next season, even after ownership pushed the budget in recent years to keep the club in the hunt. Since the run to the World Series in 2023, Arizona has come close to the playoffs in each of the past few seasons, and Hall believes the roster construction can still work without spending at that same level.
“I do not think we need to spend at that level to win and believe it will come down,” Hall said. “I realize I said the same before last season and we obviously increased, but with so many young players, we should be able to better manage a Major League budget without sacrificing our competitiveness. In fact, we would only do so if we thought we would improve our results as well.”
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