D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick yesterday said that newly hired Exec VP & GM Mike Hazen "immediately stood out, not just for his intellect but his presence and apparent ability to lead," according to Nick Piecoro of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Hall said that they also were impressed with Hazen's "capacity to map out a path to sustainability." Piecoro notes Hazen "assumes final authority on all matters related to baseball operations, the sort of responsibility he did not wield" in his previous position as Red Sox Senior VP & GM. In that role, he was Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski’s "second-in-command." How Hazen's responsibilities "coincide" with Tony La Russa, who was "stripped of his power atop baseball operations earlier this month, is sort of undefined." Hall said that both Hazen and La Russa "will report to him." But he said there is "still a lot to determine" in terms of how the two will work together. Hall added that La Russa’s title will "change from Chief Baseball Officer to Chief Baseball Analyst/Advisor." Piecoro notes the D-backs "waited for the Red Sox postseason run to end" before interviewing Hazen. Kendrick said that the club "probably still wouldn’t have a GM if the Red Sox were still alive" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/18). MLB.com's Steve Gilbert noted Hazen is a Massachusetts native, so leaving his role with the Red Sox "was not something that was easy for him." But unlike with the Red Sox, where Hazen had Dombrowski "above him as the ultimate decision maker, he will have the final say over baseball matters in Arizona" (MLB.com, 10/17).
KNOW YOUR ROLE? La Russa yesterday explained his decision to stick with the D-backs despite his role being diminished, saying, "There was one dominant, overpowering priority that haunted me all season and if I left it would haunt me the rest of my life, and that is we had a plus-20 margin of losses over wins. As I made clear, I’m supposed to impact that. To leave with that kind of season record, it’s very tough to take." La Russa said that he "expects to continue overseeing the way the players play and the coaches coach." Hall said that while La Russa was "involved in the GM interview process," the structure of the organization is "not such that Hazen will report to La Russa or vice versa" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/18). MLB.com’s Richard Justice noted La Russa's "ultimate goal is to own a team." Justice: "He has worked to assemble a group to do that and has been on the prowl for a team. I think if that opportunity comes along, that’s the one he will grab. I think ultimately that's what he sees as his next step in baseball” (“The Rundown,” MLB Network, 10/17).
JUST A LITTLE PATIENCE: ESPN.com's Buster Olney wrote the D-backs' leadership has been "viewed as impetuous by officials with other teams" because of "all the turnover" in recent years. But Kendrick and Hall landed "one of the best young executives" in Hazen to "take over their baseball operations." The D-backs now need to "commit to Hazen as he takes over the team at a very difficult stage." Management must "either invest more in the current roster to get better or retreat -- and if the team takes a step back, Hazen deserves at least a few years of patience to carry out his plan" (ESPN.com, 10/18).
