D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall yesterday said the club will "make a decision quickly" on the fates of Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa, Senior VP & GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale, according to Nick Piecoro of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Hall, appearing on the team's radio broadcast of its game against the Padres, said, "We can't drag this on. It's not fair to them. It's not fair to us or our fans, and we've got to get moving. We've got to improve this ballclub and we have to have a plan going into the offseason. So we'll make a decision quickly." He added, "It's awkward for those guys to sit around and wait, and it's not good for anyone. I can tell you ownership is involved and they'll be in town late tonight (Sunday). It'll be in the next couple of days where we start to have these meetings. It's been an evaluation process the last couple of days." Piecoro notes the D-backs have been "weighing changes since at least August as the team sputtered toward the end of the one of the more disappointing seasons in franchise history." The club finished with a 69-93 record and the "lowest attendance in franchise history." Stewart's contract has an option for '17 that was "supposed to be decided at the end of August, but the organization decided to push back the decision until the end of the year." The same went for former Senior VP/Baseball Operations De Jon Watson's contract, but Watson "asked for an answer last month and the club gave him one, telling him he would not be returning." La Russa's contract "is up after this year while Hale is signed through" '17 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/3).
