The Diamondbacks are nearing an eight-year contract extension with president and CEO Derrick Hall, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The new contract will replace Hall’s expiring contract and run through the 2024 season. Hall has been the club’s president since 2006 and CEO since 2008.
While Hall’s fate looks to be sorted out (with the result coming as little surprise), the same can’t be said of chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and GM Dave Stewart, both of whom are currently in limbo as their superiors (Hall included) evaluate what has been a wildly disappointing season for the D-backs. Stewart’s contract is reported to have an option that must be exercised by the end of the month of August, but Hall tells Piecoro that the team will push that decision back a ways. “We’ve decided we’ll go until the end of the season and then we’ll evaluate everything,” said Hall. “It was pretty successful last year, and we know there have been a lot of injuries, a lot of things haven’t gone our way. There’s a lot to think about here.”
In an effort to take some of the heat off of his baseball ops department, Hall stressed that while La Russa and Stewart may be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the club, he plays a role in those decisions by having a say on final approval as well. “I’m obviously just as guilty with approvals or disapprovals and all the meetings I’m a part of,” he said. “I think we all have to look in the mirror right now when it comes to baseball and really turn the page and start to produce.”
Piecoro also asked Hall about a weekend report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, which stated that Hall and owner Ken Kendrick stepped in and vetoed a trade of Shelby Miller to the Marlins and the dismissal of manager Chip Hale. Hall didn’t deny either report, and in reference to Miller said that he didn’t feel this was an instance of ownership being too involved in operations, explaining that about 95 percent of proposed deals receive approval, but there is also a “small percent that we challenge or push back.” Regarding Hale, Hall simply said that as was the case with Stewart, the team plans to see how the remainder of the season plays out before making any kind of final decision. Hale, like Stewart, has an option on his contract for the 2017 season.
The D-backs have limed to a 53-74 record that is currently tied with the Padres for the second-worst in all of Major League Baseball this season. Injuries to the likes of A.J. Pollock, David Peralta, Chris Owings, Zack Greinke and Rubby De La Rosa (among others) have certainly played a significant role in that lackluster performance but have also magnified the poor results from a number of the team’s other recent personnel moves, prompting speculation about the futures of La Russa and Stewart.
“Stewart Decision Unlikely”
Should they kick him out the door or push him out the door? What kind of door – metal, wood? Do they lock the door afterwards?
Tough decisions.
Nice
You know the floating door which appeared in the opening sequence of “The Twilight Zone” TV series? It’s that door.
Sweet! Give Stewart and LaRussa 5 year extensions as well.
What a joke. This team is a train wreck.
Hall is looking like Dave Montgomery V2.0
8 year extension for what? The 2nd most losses in the NL since CEO in 2009. ONE winning season in last 8. Terrible front office hires.. Horrible trades. Late (if it even exists) to the analytics game.
Nice stewardship. Is there a CEO with more failures in more aspects of the game than Derrick Hall? No… they don’t have a job anymore.
He got them a nice TV contract 🙂
WOW the owner should be fired. Can’t cure stupid!
The Dbacks continue to amaze. At the very least Stewart should be fired and La Russa should change roles and have less influence on roster building
Hall is good to keep around. He’s been great in the community and is a cancer survivor. I met him once and he’s a class act. He works with an owner who’s trying to win now all the time, but doesn’t want to spend to make that happen. It’s like George Steinbrener, minus the investment. The pattern is he sacks the front office and managers too regularly.
In a rational world, Tony LaRussa and Dave Stewart made both good and bad trades. The hurtful one being the Miller trade. It goes deeper than just Miller not performing, Enciarte could have taken over in CF when AJ Pollock went down. Then, when Ruby De Le Rosa and Greinke hit the DL Blair could have been called on to jump into the rotation. Ahmed and Owings have also missed some time and Swanson could prove a much better SS than anything the D’Backs have currently. In other words, they lost a lot of depth from the trade. Not good.
I agree with Hall to hold on to Miller. Most assuredly the Marlins wouldn’t have given much. Miller’s best value to the team is getting back on track and pitching well. Another bonus is that by going to the minors, Miller will still have three years of control. If he does figure things out, it may prove to be less than a disaster.
In the end, TLR and Stewart could and perhaps, should be out the door, but I’d hope Hall can convince Kendrick to spend some money on good FO people who know the ins and outs of the job. Then, get a manager with experience and bring stability to the club. Jockeying around every year or two when things don’t go well is the way to ensure things don’t ever go well, because no group can ever establish and make any kind of vision come to fruition.
That’s being very optimistic to say the least. Halls track record says otherwise
The Padres and Diamondbacks are tied for the third worst record in MLB, not second. It’s the Braves, followed by the Twins, and then the Padres
And Diamondbacks. Regardless, I’m looking forward to a healthy roster in 2017.
A healthy roster gets you maybe 75-80 wins.
As a Dodgers fan, I endorse re-signing La Russa and Stewart.
Diamondbacks and Padres are tied for the 3rd worst record in baseball. Twins and Braves are worse.
the race for 1st pick
Both will be tossed out before the end or at the end of the season… Someone has got to pay… And it won’t be the CEO…