Torey Lovullo Had Heartfelt Response to Staying with D-backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks' manager spoke about his return in 2026.

Jul 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo prior to game against the Houston Astros at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks have opted to retain manager Torey Lovullo for the 2026 season, multiple reports confirmed on Monday.

While many fans might not have been satisfied with the job done by the nine-year D-backs' skipper, GM Mike Hazen and owner Ken Kendrick evaluated Lovullo on more than the outcomes of in-game decisions.

Read More: D-backs GM Mike Hazen Bluntly Addresses Keeping Torey Lovullo

At Arizona's end-of-season press conference, Lovullo expressed his sincere gratitude for the opportunity to return as the manager of the D-backs. Just a few days prior, he acknowledged the uncertainty of the situation.

After being asked about his retention, Lovullo's first response was one of gratitude to the organization.

"First of all, I'm grateful for Mr. Kendrick, [Derrick Hall], Mike [Hazen] and his team for believing in me and saying, 'Hey, let's keep going. Let's make this happen,'

"I asked after the 2021 season for an opportunity to manage the group of players that we have here and see where we can take this, and I think we've won a lot of baseball games. We went to a World Series. We won 89 games last year. We've come close the past couple years.

"That's not a consolation, but I think when I was getting asked the questions, I was at peace with whatever was going to happen because I've done my absolute best, and we all know when you do your absolute best and it just doesn't meet the mark, then you have some satisfaction and you can walk away from that," Lovullo said.

Not to rest on the moral victories of non-playoff seasons, Lovullo made sure to emphasize that he did not feel as if the job had been finished.

"I'm not ready to walk away from this. I want to win a World Championship here in the Valley. I want to celebrate with the fans. I have dreams that we all talk about, and I'm just grateful for that being in place still," Lovullo said.

Any sport is a results-based business. When results are not there, decisions are often made. In this case, Hazen and Kendrick were both clear that Lovullo's job could not be properly evaluated purely based on wins and losses, with so many injuries to the roster.

"This is a tough business," Lovullo said. "This is a really, really tough business, and if they were going to move on from me, I was going to be like, 'Somebody better is going to come in here and make some good things happen,' and that would give me some happiness."

"I was trying to find some positives in it, and I'm just grateful. Right now I'm feeling just very grateful for them still believing in me, and I know we can do this here. I feel very strongly that we're going to do something special here," Lovullo said.