Why did the Diamondbacks bring back manager Torey Lovullo?

PHOENIX — As manager Torey Lovullo spent the final days of the 2026 season uncertain whether he would ever return to his position, as the fans went back and forth online and rumors started that other teams were interested, the Arizona Diamondbacks had already come to a conclusion.

Letting Lovullo focus solely on the push to the postseason, Diamondbacks higher ups, including general manager Mike Hazen, managing partner Ken Kendrick and president/CEO Derrick Hall, decided that Lovullo had earned another opportunity to come back.

On Thursday, Lovullo officially agreed to a two-year contract with the D-backs — Years 11 and 12 in Arizona — after the club had averaged 85 wins per year over the past four campaigns.

The last three Diamondbacks seasons not only failed to result in a playoff appearance, but they ended in heartbreak at the end of the year. So what gave the club confidence in Lovullo being the right person to push the club forward?

“Torey and the coaches did a really good job of keeping this team — through what was a fairly tumultuous season on a number of different fronts — together, playing hard, the most comeback wins in baseball, the characteristics of playing a brand of baseball that I appreciate,” Hazen said. “It led to a decent amount of wins. It didn’t lead to enough wins. We are all disappointed by the way the season ended. We should have been in the playoffs.

“I wanted to take a broader view, of all the good things that he does. The way he leads the coaching staff, the way he leads our organization with the class and dignity and runs a game and manages our clubhouse, the way he treats our players, the respect he has across the game, the way we interact as a front office and with the people that work for me that interact with the coaches. He sets the example for that, too. And I think it’s critically important in today’s game.”

Hazen fell on the sword multiple times, backing a statement made by Hall recently that the roster was not in the best spot to compete for a playoff spot.

The feeling internally is that Lovullo got a lot out of this team, a group of players that played hard and grinded out many close victories despite challenges — such as injuries, the Ketel Marte no-show distraction and self-admitted roster holes.

Lovullo said more than half of the team reached out to him in support after hearing the news that he was coming back. Several reacted on social media.

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— Ildemaro Vargas 🌵 (@ildemaro_tigre) October 1, 2026

There is a bottom line argument that change was needed, that 10 years with two playoff berths is cut-and-dry not good enough.

The D-backs have played competitive baseball for four straight years, but there is another gear that needs to be reached to enter that next tier. How much of that is on the manager versus the front office that gave him the roster?

It is on all of the above, an argument against using Lovullo specifically as a fall guy. Hall made the argument that Lovullo did his best work this season, which would have looked awfully strange had the club turned around and let him go.

Process, relationships and preparation were clear themes of Hazen’s explanation to retain Lovullo, along with his game management.

Hazen felt that aspect of Lovullo’s job has improved, citing the bullpen success this season. The GM called Lovullo a more objective game manager than he was in the past.

The Game 161 bullpen management is going to be a moment that stands out when evaluating the 2026 season, as it should be. It was a failure at the worst possible time, but the bullpen overall had its best season in years, doing so without an established closer for the second half.

And by relationships, the GM meant with the players and staff, not with him.

The bond between Hazen and Lovullo is well documented, but Hazen claimed multiple times that element had nothing to do with this decision. The two stressed that their relationship is not as “lovey dovey” as many perceive, that they are critical of each other and see that as constructive.

“The trust we have with the way he runs a baseball game and the time he puts in and the adjustments he’s made to become a better manager over time, those are things I value tremendously,” Hazen said. “We didn’t get the job done again this year. No one really cares how close you got if you don’t get there. And yes, I have to take responsibility for those areas that I’m responsible for. … This is a bottom-line business.

“Nobody cares about who knows who and where everybody comes from. It’s not the driving factor of why he’s still the manager of this baseball team. He’s the manager of this baseball team because he’s a good baseball manager. Period.”

The month of August was key, as the D-backs finished above .500 despite relying on multiple rookie starting pitchers to fill innings due to injuries and the team overcoming Marte’s no-show in Boston, which became a national embarrassment.

That was when the season could have gone sideways, and it didn’t. Before Arizona’s six-game winning streak revived their playoff chances at the end of the year, that month stood out to team leadership as a direct impact of the manager.

How did Torey Lovullo handle the decision to come back?

Lovullo took his time this week to decide how to proceed.

He spent Monday, Tuesday and part of Wednesday decompressing at home with his wife, watching every single episode of Ted Lasso. It had been an emotional end to the season, which Lovullo tried to keep his sole focus on. At night, he said, he would think about his future in Arizona.

Those emotions crept back up on Thursday, when Lovullo was asked what it meant to be able to stay in a community he has spent a decade laying roots in.

“I thought about what Kenny (Dillingham) said when I think somebody was trying to poach him. … He said, all I need to do is look at my family, my kids. They’re here. This is my life. I don’t want to change,” Lovullo said, choking up at the end of his answer.

Lovullo said he wanted to be wanted several times after Sunday’s season finale, and he clarified that sentiment on Thursday, saying that message was for the team brass.

Now that this uncertainty is past him, Lovullo will turn the page to 2027 in the coming weeks. When asked how the team can get over the hump, Lovullo said championships are built through preparation, and this time of year is when the front office is responsible for figuring out the right combination of pieces to bring in and allow the manager to work with.

Arizona has a core to build around, with Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll in their 20s.

Uncertainty looms over the sport given the threat of a potential lockout, which Hazen said did not impact the decision to keep Lovullo.

Many fans around the Valley will be happy with the decision. Many will not be.

Lovullo is well aware, and he had a message for them, too.

“I pick up on vibes. I know that some people in this town want me out. I get it. But I have a job to do here. And I’m going to do it to the best of my ability,” Lovullo said.

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