Arizona Diamondbacks remove Kevin Towers from GM position

According to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ official Twitter account the team’s Chief Baseball Officer, a position created especially for him, Tony La Russa has removed Kevin Towers from his general manager duties. The team is to begin interviewing new candidates immediately.

Towers has been offered a position within the organization, however, he is still contemplating the opportunity. La Russa issued the following official statement regarding Towers Friday morning,

“Over the past three months, I have had the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of our baseball operations and have decided to restructure our staff in order to improve our decision-making process. I have the utmost respect for Kevin and a friendship with him that dates back many years which has allowed me to appreciate his talents and experience. I have offered him another role in the front office, as I believe his skills fit well within the framework of what we are building. Unserstandably, he would like to see who the new general manager is before making his own decision. We are extremely grateful for all that he has done for the D-Backs during his four-plus years here, particularly given that he has always put the organization above his own self-interests. That tells you all you need to know about him as a person.”

Towers joined the Diamondbacks late in the 2010 season and achieved success as the team won the National League Western Division title the next year. Since 2011, however, the Diamondbacks consistently finished with an average .500 record.

This year things have only gone downhill for the D-backs, despite having the highest payroll the in the team’s history. They are currently 59-81 and in fourth place in the N.L. West, 19 games behind the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

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The D-Backs have absolutely no chance at the postseason as they are 13 games out of the second N.L. wild card spot. They hold the second worst record in all of Major League Baseball.

Even before the Diamondbacks hired La Russa there were questions about Towers’ job security as the team began the season going 22-8 in April. The team’s manager Kirk Gibson‘s status within the organization remains in question as well as there has been speculation surrounding his job all season.

Nick Pierco of the Arizona Republic reported about Towers’ status Thursday night prior to the official announcement and he also addressed the managers situation,

There was no immediate word on the status of manager Kirk Gibson, though it’s unclear if that means he is assured of returning next season.

It’s a waiting game now for both Towers and Gibson. Towers, who was general manager for the San Diego Padres from 1995-2009, must wait to decide if he will remain with the organization.

Gibson is in a more precarious situation as he may be looking for a job elsewhere in the near future and must now continue to manage the team as if nothing has changed.

Changes within the D-Backs organization were inevitable since the hiring of La Russa and apparently those changes began with Towers on Friday morning.