D-backs Manager Talks Expectations and More Ahead of Spring Training

On Wednesday, February 12, Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers report to Salt River Fields. On Tuesday, one day prior to the onset of Spring Training, manager Torey Lovullo spoke on a variety of topics ahead of the coming season on the Foul Territory podcast.

There's still plenty of off-season to traverse, but the action is growing ever-closer, with full-squad workouts beginning February 17.

Lovullo and his squad will be ready for the upcoming marathon, though Arizona's roster - and the expectations surrounding them - will look quite different from the past two seasons.

Expectations

It's not as if the Diamondbacks are sneaky underdogs any longer. Playing in a division as competitive as the NL West can sometimes trivialize the star power of other clubs, but Arizona will enter 2025 as a potential contender - the hunted, rather than the hunters.

The D-backs, one year removed from a pennant victory and a World Series berth, actually increased their win total by five games in 2024. By all accounts, they improved upon the roster. And yet, they were relegated to their couches once October arrived.

"That's the really frustrating part of how the year ended up," said Lovullo, "I was so proud of what we did and what we accomplished during the course of last season. We won 89 games and we tied for the last position to enter, and we lost in a tiebreaker."

But ultimately, that minuscule tiebreaker was the difference, and Lovullo knows the club has to live with it, and do everything possible to secure the extra step needed for another deep run.

"We live in that space, we talked about that space, and every little detail, every little inch matters here. So it's just really going to amplify my message of Spring Training that we can't lose any moments and we’ve got to go out there and close deals and win every game we're supposed to," Lovullo said.

But the truth is, it will be difficult for the D-backs to contend in the sturdy National League, especially with the juggernaut that is the Los Angeles Dodgers within the division. "That's what we signed up for, right?" Lovullo said.

"At the end of the day this is an industry where it's full of pressure, and you've got to perform. ... I believe in these players I believe in the relationships that have been built, I believe in the relationships that I've built with them. ..."

"I remember what it was like as a player," Lovullo continued. "I felt like I had to go five-for-four every single day. Either I was going to get fired or sent down. So I try to eliminate that barrier and I just tell them 'go out and be the best version of yourself.'"

Former catcher and current Foul Territory host A.J. Pierzynski noted that the Diamondbacks will get FOX-televised games at Chase Field this year. That's not something that is awarded to non-contenders. As far as MLB is concerned, Arizona is expected to compete at a high level in 2025.

But Lovullo and his club will look to take it in stride, and play stress-free baseball. Ultimately, that's a better recipe for winning than dwelling on expectations or projections.

"There's pressure on this team, no doubt," said Lovullo, "we embrace what happens inside of our division. ... [The Dodgers and Padres] are going to do what they do, and we love that challenge. We go out there and play the best baseball game the Arizona Diamondbacks can play."

Corbin Burnes

But with that pressure and attention come the rewards. Arizona signed ace starter Corbin Burnes to a six-year deal last month, adding a top-tier arm to their rotation.

Lovullo reflected on the signing, and how the acquisition went down from his perspective. He and his wife, Kristen, were on a plane, traveling back from Buffalo, New York at the time, when he received a rare message from owner and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick.

"[The message was like] 'why aren't you picking up your phone? Where are you? What's going on?' ... And I'm thinking 'what is happening?' So I said 'I'll call you as soon as I land.' I did, and he said to me that the Corbin Burnes [opportunity] is falling into our lap."

"[Burnes has] talked about how eager he is to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks for an assortment of reasons, and we want to close this gap up and try and make something happen… And we just started to vet the whole process, and really within 36 hours our owner had basically done that deal and made it happen," Lovullo said.

"So we're very grateful for the great ownership that we have, and what it does is it takes us from a team that is really out there grinding, to a team that is strongly considered to go out and win a lot of baseball games and hopefully stand at the top of the mountain at the end of the year."

Lovullo retold his first interaction with Burnes, and the ace's message was short and simple:

"My first conversation with Corbin was, 'hey, congrats, you're here, we're so proud of that,' and he says 'you ready to win a s--t ton of games? Because I'm going to go out there and help this team go to where they want to go to.' So when I heard that, I was like, 'let's get the season started right now,'" Lovullo said.

Replacing Christian Walker

The Diamondbacks have secured their first baseman for 2025, bringing in slugger Josh Naylor in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians, but replacing a player as valuable as Christian Walker is a tough task.

"Christian Walker meant so much to this organization. He'd been here through some really good times, really dark times, and then come out the other side where we've had a lot of success," Lovullo said.

"I could basically raise my finger from the dugout and and get his attention and and give him some information, same thing in the dugout. He'd walk by me and he'd grunt at me and I'd say something to him and it was done deal."

Lovullo said it's hard to replace a player of Walker's caliber, but expressed confidence in his more veteran players. He said the best way for Naylor to fit in is to simply be who he is, and praised his new first baseman's abilities.

"There's some All-Star numbers in there, there's some All-Star years in there, and this guy goes out and kills the baseball. So we don't want him to be anything different, anything other than what he's been," Lovullo said.

"He comes with some intensity, a lot of intensity, and a really really good at-bat. So I think he's going to fit right into this program."

Naylor spoke to the media on Monday for the first time as a Diamondback. His full comments can be found here.

D-backs Manager Talks Expectations and More Ahead of Spring Training

Expectations

Corbin Burnes

Replacing Christian Walker

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