Sporting the second worst record in the National League West at a dismal 59-81, its no surprise that the axe has finally started to fall in Arizona. Today the Diamondbacks have fired general manager Kevin Towers, who has been with the team for four years.
As first reported by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the move comes just four months after the Diamondbacks hired Tony LaRussa as “Chief Baseball Officer” to oversee the operations of the club. Obviously the Hall of Fame manager and his new team of baseball executives did not like the direction that Towers was going with the club. While he has not been fired today, it now remains to be seen if Towers hand-picked manager, Kirk Gibson, will remain with the team beyond this season.
Towers took over a last place club during the 2010 season. In 2011, his first full season as general manager, he led the Diamondbacks to a 94-win season, and first place in the NL West. A heart breaking five game loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series would follow. The Diamondbacks would become a .500 baseball team, winning 81 games in both 2012 and 2013, before this year’s disaster. Overall the club was 314-311 in his time as general manager.
Towers has made a number of key moves in his time, including trading away Justin Upton, Jarrod Parker, Ian Kennedy, Adam Eaton, Tyler Skaggs and Adam Eaton. The move of Upton in particular was disastrous for the Diamondbacks as they just did not get enough value out of Atlanta for the all-star outfielder.
Before joining the D-backs, Towers was the GM of the San Diego Padres for 14 seasons.
The Diamondbacks will now begin the search for a permanent replacement.
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