Diamondbacks Fire GM Dave Stewart, Manager Chip Hale After 93-Loss Season

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who went 63-93 this season and finished in fourth place in the National League West, fired both manager Chip Hale and general manager Dave Stewart Monday afternoon.

Diamondbacks Fire GM Dave Stewart, Manager Chip Hale After 93-Loss Season

Both were in their second year with the team.

Stewart, 59, was hired in late September 2014 to replace Kevin Towers as GM. A few weeks later, Stewart named Hale, 51, as the manager. The Diamondbacks went 148-176 under Hale.

Stewart was hired by the franchise’s chief baseball officer, Tony La Russa, who has not been fired.

“We are very grateful to Dave and Chip who are widely respected throughout the game of baseball.,” said Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall in a statement. “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary. We are still discussing what the appropriate role for Tony La Russa will be moving forward.”

Arizona signed free agent ace pitcher Zack Greinke for $206.5 million before the 2016 season– his $34.4 million per year salary the largest in MLB– and traded for Atlanta Braves starter Shelby Miller, an All-Star. However, hopes for the Dbacks were soon dashed, as both pitchers woefully underperformed this season, Miller even becoming one of the worst in the league.

The Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001 and had a brief comeback ten years later, winning the NL West. Nevertheless, Arizona has steadily declined since then, posting five consecutive non-winning seasons.

The franchise will now be searching for its fifth GM and fifth manager since 2010.

A four-time 20-game winner as a player, Stewart had previously worked in the front office for Oakland, San Diego and Toronto before landing his first general manager job.

Hale played seven major league seasons with the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Dodgers before starting his coaching career. He worked as Bob Melvin’s bench coach for three seasons before being hired as a major league manager for the first time with Arizona. He previously worked nine seasons in the Diamondbacks organization and spent two seasons with the New York Mets.

Arizona’s pitching staff struggled as a whole, finishing with a league-worst 5.11 ERA.

The Diamondbacks were also criticized for the deal that brought in Miller, which sent outfielder Ender Inciarte and shortstop Dansby Swanson, Arizona’s top draft pick in 2015, to Atlanta. In his first seasons with Arizona, Miller struggled, going 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA.

PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 06: General manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale #3 of the Arizona Diamondbacks talk on the field before the Opening Day MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on April 6, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena