Diamondbacks Face Leadership and Roster Decisions After Disappointing 2025 Season

The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t just miss October baseball in 2025; they crashed into one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. They head into the offseason with an 80-82 record, their first losing season since 2022.

There will be a lot of blame going around. General manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo will receive the brunt of it. Arizona Sports Insider John Gambadoro reports the team has yet to schedule its end-of-season meetings.

Also on that report is a statement he got from Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick. Like everyone else in the organization, Kendrick is frustrated at the season's results, telling Gambadoro, "I have never been more disappointed in a season than this one because our expectations were so high".

It makes sense that expectations were high. Despite missing the postseason in 2024, they improved their win total by five games. Kendrick greenlighted a record payroll, estimated to be $187.0 million for Opening Day by Cot's Contracts. Instead of a 90-win season and another Sedona Red October, it was a year defined by injuries and inconsistent play at best.

Should Hazen and Lovullo Be Worried?

When the owner makes statements like that to the media, after a record payroll season, changes are almost certain to happen. It's unclear if that means Hazen and/or Lovullo will be shown the door.

Kendrick may push for a leadership change, applying pressure on Hazen to fire Lovullo. That was a decision that almost seemed certain on August 1st, when the team was 51-59 and sold at the deadline. A 29-18 run between August 2nd and September 23rd still might not have been enough to save his job.

Personally, I don't think Lovullo should go. Some of his biggest critics, whom the D-backs manager labels as "keyboard pounders", will cite his managerial decisions. The front office meets with Lovullo to game plan and discuss potential in-game scenarios long before a single pitch is thrown. That's when the tough decisions are made.

Firing Lovullo only makes sense if Kendrick is ready to blow up the regime entirely. I would not rule that out at this point. Should that come to pass, both Hazen and Lovullo will be shown the door and likely find a new team quickly. Replacing both of them might not be so easy.

The decisions that Kendrick, and possibly Hazen as well, will make on the team's direction serve as the first major ripple for the D-backs' 2025-26 offseason.

After the posting this article, reports came out that Lovullo will manage the club in 2026. According to Gambadoro, there will be no extension, meaning the D-backs' skipper will be in the final year of his contract.

The team was in a similar scenario just three years ago. Lovullo got a one-year extension in July after winning 50 of the first 84 games. Following the team's postseason run, he was extended further into 2026. Hazen was also extended through 2029.

With Lovullo in place for 2026, both he and Hazen are on the hot seat if they don't produce a winning roster. The end of season meetings will be 2-3 weeks from now, which could decide which coaches are retained next season.

2026 Payroll Situation

I briefly mentioned the payroll in the offseason primer I published Saturday after the D-backs were eliminated. Arizona fielded a $179.2 million payroll for 2025, according to Cot's Contracts. That number is almost certain to go down after failing to reach the postseason in consecutive seasons.

Cots estimates that the D-backs have $102.7 million committed toward their 2026 payroll. However, that figure doesn't include arbitration estimates, which will come out later in the offseason. Without knowing what the payroll target will be, it would be unwise to assume they have a big budget to spend.

Arizona has to fill pitching holes on the roster. They need at least two starting pitchers to replace Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, who will both hit free agency this winter. They also have to figure out the back of the bullpen, first base, DH, and outfield situation.

Due to restrictions in payroll, especially with the sheer volume of players who are certain to open 2026 on the 60-day injured list. Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. combine for $46.363 million in guaranteed money. A.J. Puk's final year of arbitration could push that total over $50 million, should Arizona tender him.

If the 2026 payroll drops to $150 million or less, that's a significant chunk that isn't contributing to the club. That in itself will make building a cohesive roster in the offseason without getting creative.