The Diamondbacks are staring at another disappointing finish, but that doesn’t automatically make Torey Lovullo and Mike Hazen the easy answers.
Arizona missed the postseason for a third straight year by the narrowest of margins, and that kind of ending usually brings a round of blame. Still, this is a partnership the club should think hard about before breaking up.
Hazen hired Lovullo before the 2017 season, and the two have been connected even earlier than that through their time in Boston. Together, they helped push the Diamondbacks from a 52-110 collapse in 2021 to the National League pennant just two seasons later.
That run doesn’t wipe away what happened over the last two seasons, but it does matter. Lovullo’s 2026 season, in particular, gives the organization something to weigh carefully.
Arizona finished 86-76, and CEO Derrick Hall said it could have been the best managerial season of Lovullo’s time with the team. Hall also pointed to Lovullo’s work handling the clubhouse and keeping the group together through tough stretches.
Hall: “I don’t think we as an organization did our best job building a roster this year.”
There is still a real case for change. Lovullo’s use of matchups and bullpen management has left some people wondering whether a different manager could get more out of the same roster. But moving on from him would also mean giving up the trust, stability and leadership he already brings.
That leaves Arizona with a bigger decision than just whether to make a switch. The real question is whether the leadership is the problem, or whether the Diamondbacks are simply a few roster tweaks away from getting back to the postseason.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Just Ended A Torey Lovullo Debate That Kept Growing
The Diamondbacks have put an end to one of the bigger internal questions around the franchise by signing Torey Lovullo to a two-year contract extension that keeps him in place through the 2027 season. Lovullo has now been at the helm for 10 seasons, long enough to become one of the defining figures of the clubs modern era, with multiple postseason trips and the 2023 World Series run standing out as the high-water mark.
Even with some uneven results and a few clubhouse issues in recent years, the organization has continued to signal belief in his leadership, and CEO Derrick Hall has been among the voices backing that view. The extension settles the present, but it also leaves the more interesting question hanging over what comes next for a manager whose tenure has already seen both the best and most complicated stretches of the Diamondbacks recent history. [Read more 🡒]
D-Backs Rotation Need Could Make Michael Soroka A Real Priority
Arizonas offseason pitching puzzle is already coming into focus, and Michael Soroka is in the middle of it. The Diamondbacks are reportedly interested in bringing him back in free agency after he turned in a 3.41 ERA across 22 appearances, a reminder that he gave them useful innings even while dealing with injury issues during the season.
Soroka has also signaled a desire to return, which matters because the Diamondbacks are expected to shop aggressively for starting pitching. With concerns about both performance and health in the current rotation, a pitcher who has already fit into the room and shown he can help when available could quickly rise from a familiar name to a real priority. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Fans May Revisit One Part Of The Lars Nootbaar Deal
The Lars Nootbaar deal finally has its last piece in place, and it sends another Arizona pitching prospect to St. Louis. Brian Curley, a 23-year-old third-round pick out of Georgia, was the player to be named later, adding a little more clarity to a trade Diamondbacks fans have had reason to track since the original swap.
Curley spent the 2026 season pitching at High-A and Double-A, where the results were uneven but the underlying traits stood out. He paired strong strikeout and walk numbers with a high ERA, and his appeal remains easy to see: a fastball that can get into triple digits and a varied arsenal that gives him a chance to keep moving. Arizona will have to wait a while to revisit the deal in another sense, since he will not be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the 2028 season. [Read more 🡒]