Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick says Torey Lovullo extension a topic for offseason
Oct 12, 2023, 4:42 PM | Updated: 4:57 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick before a 4-2 NLDS Game 3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. (Felisa Cardenas/Arizona Sports)
(Felisa Cardenas/Arizona Sports)
Arizona Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick said extending manager Torey Lovullo will be a topic of discussion this offseason.
Lovullo signed a one-year contract extension in June through 2024, while general manager Mike Hazen agreed to a long-term deal through 2028 with an option for 2029.
“It’s something we normally do at our season-ending meeting, which usually occurs in early October,” Kendrick told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday. “Well, guess what? Good fortune has shined on us. That meeting may come later. But it certainly will be a subject.”
The Diamondbacks are in the National League Championship Series for the third time in franchise history after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Kendrick praised the job Lovullo has done with the club this year and explained the organization’s stance on keeping him after three sub .500 seasons.
“We retained him after a 100-loss season with my view, and I think one shared by other leadership, that we had not given him the talent he deserved to have to perform. Now he has the talent, and clearly, they are performing,” Kendrick said.
Lovullo said during the Dodgers series that he has had no further extension talks to this point. He expressed the desire to stay in Arizona for his entire career if possible. He is the winningest manager in club history after getting hired before the 2017 season.
“We want him to be a Diamondback, so it should make it very workable to come together on something going forward,” Kendrick said.
Mike Hazen and the Red Sox
Kendrick also provided some information regarding rumors and links between Hazen and the Boston Red Sox.
Boston fired its president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, toward the end of the regular season. Hazen was hired from Boston’s front office and is a Massachusetts native, creating some buzz in the media about a potential pairing.
Kendrick said the Red Sox never asked for permission to speak with the GM. Hazen and the Diamondbacks had extension talks before the Boston opening.
“There would have been no reason for them to reach out to us,” Kendrick said.
Hazen has explained he and his team want to continue building this Diamondbacks club with championship goals.
