Hazen’s notion that D-backs’ season is over ‘infuriating’ to Nick Ahmed
Sep 1, 2020, 4:08 PM | Updated: 4:13 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed throws to first base to get Los Angeles Dodgers' Kiké Hernandez out during the ninth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Phoenix. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 3-0. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona Diamondbacks sold at the 2020 trade deadline in a way they’ve never done before under general manager Mike Hazen.
By trading four players, including everyday center fielder Starling Marte, starting pitcher Robbie Ray and closer Archie Bradley, a message was clearly made in giving up on this season.
While Hazen didn’t outright say that on Monday, he implied that, yes, they had a goal in mind of making the playoffs this season and it doesn’t look like that’s coming to fruition.
That mentality coming from Hazen on 2020 being a done deal for the D-backs doesn’t sit well with shortstop Nick Ahmed, who has been with Arizona since 2014.
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“That’s infuriating,” he said Tuesday. “Hopefully, Mike stops making comments like that. No one is packing in the towel, no one’s saying we’re giving up on the season. As a player, that pisses me off big-time.”
Ahmed said the clubhouse has not heard from Hazen since the trade deadline and emphasized the players are not rolling over in the slightest.
“There’s no one with that type of attitude,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what Mike’s words were or comments were, but there’s no one with an attitude of like, ‘Hey, we’re giving up.’ That’s nonexistent in the clubhouse.”
Ahmed was asked about the way the 2019 trade deadline went down and what Hazen had to say to the club then about getting rid of ace Zack Greinke. While Ahmed gave a nod to it clearly being a cost-cutting move made by the team, he acknowledged it’s all a part of what’s going on and not a part they let get into the mentality of the clubhouse.
“We trust what [D-backs GM] Mike [Hazen] and his team are doing, we understand that there’s a business side of the game,” Ahmed told reporters Tuesday. “They have to think about the future of the organization, we get that as players but it doesn’t take away from the fact that we want to compete and win and go out and do our job right now.
“As players we can’t look forward to the next year or after. All we can take care of is this moment right now.”
