11:46am: Towers has yet to meet with Diamondbacks officials and his salary demands may become an obstacle, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The D’Backs, who are still paying former GM Josh Byrnes, may balk at Towers’ asking price. He made nearly $2MM with the Padres and has enough leverage to demand a substantial deal.
The Diamondbacks obtained permission from the Yankees to interview Towers, but the Bronx Bombers did not grant Arizona permission to interview Damon Oppenheimer. Dodgers assistant GMs Logan White and De Jon Watson will likely get interviews, too.
8:41am: Three general managers insisted to MLB Network's Peter Gammons that Kevin Towers is "set" to become the next GM in Arizona, though nothing is official at this point (Twitter link). The D'Backs have not had a permanent GM since firing Josh Byrnes halfway through the season and Towers' name has come up repeatedly since.
Towers currently works in the Yankees front office, but he's better known for his extended tenure as Padres GM. Not only did the Padres win four division titles and one National League championship under Towers, the team is in first place again this year. Manager Bud Black, GM Jed Hoyer and the Padres players deserve credit for this season, but Towers' fingerprints are undeniably on the current edition of the club.
Interim GM Jerry Dipoto, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White are among the executives who have reportedly been considered for the job.
