5 moves that led to Dave Stewart's firing
Dave Stewart admitted to feeling a sense of relief when he was fired Monday after just two years as Arizona's general manager, and, frankly, a large contingent of Diamondbacks fans must've felt the same way, having watched the beleaguered executive turn himself and his team into a laughingstock over the last couple seasons through a litany of questionable moves. Here are five of the worst:
Nov. 26, 2014 - Cuban star Tomas gets 6-year, $68.5M deal
A recurring theme throughout Stewart's tenure was an inability to evaluate talent, and that damning proclivity compelled him to give Yasmany Tomas, then a portly, positionless 23-year-old, a six-year deal despite real concerns about his hitting ability. Though Tomas improved in 2016 following a dismal rookie season, smacking 31 homers and 30 doubles in 140 games, his dubious approach fueled just a .313 on-base percentage that, along with his deficiencies both afield and on the basepaths, made him essentially a replacement-level player. So far, the Diamondbacks have paid Tomas $13 million for -1.2 wins above replacement, and the one-dimensional slugger is owed another $55 million over the next four seasons.
Jan. 17, 2015 - Yoan Lopez, Cuban teen, receives record-setting bonus
Beset by "serious emotional issues," according to Stewart, following his defection from Cuba, right-hander Yoan Lopez left the club's Double-A affiliate in July with the intention of retiring roughly 18 months after landing a $8.27-million signing bonus from Arizona, a then-record for international amateurs. Look, it's uncouth and perhaps unfair to blame a baseball executive for not predicting how a seismic life change would emotionally affect a young man like Lopez, but these are things MLB executives have to account for in their evaluations, and when major investments go awry, those signing the checks are the ones held accountable. (It's also salient to note that when he left his minor-league club, Lopez had a 5.26 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP through 16 starts).
Dec. 8, 2015 - Greinke lands 6-year, $206.5M contract
Though the Diamondbacks finished 13 games back of a postseason berth last year, Stewart misguidedly felt his team was on the verge of contention this past winter, and that adding a major piece like Zack Greinke, who crafted a career-best 1.66 ERA and 0.84 ERA with the Dodgers in 2015, would put them over the top. That very much didn't happen, as the Diamondbacks finished the 2016 campaign with a 69-93 record, and Greinke - whose $34.42-million average annual value is the highest in MLB history - crafted a career-worst 4.37 ERA as his peripheral stats began to decline (which one might've reasonably expected from a pitcher in his age-32 season).
Dec. 8, 2015 - Swanson, Inciarte, Blair shipped to Atlanta for Miller
The ink was still wet on Greinke's contract when Stewart, woefully unaware of how bad his team still was, shipped shortstop Dansby Swanson - the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft - along with outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitching prospect Aaron Blair to the rebuilding Braves for Shelby Miller, capping off one of the most self-destructive 24-hour periods by a general manager in modern baseball history. Miller, of course, was a total disaster in his first season with Arizona, stumbling to a 6.15 ERA with a 1.67 WHIP and missing time with a finger injury while Swanson, just 22, hit .302/.361/.442 through his first 38 games in the big leagues after being recalled by Atlanta in mid-August.
July 9, 2016 - Ziegler sent to Boston for two minor-leaguers
Contenders paid a premium for late-inning relievers ahead of the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline - just look at what the Cubs gave up for three months of Aroldis Chapman, or what the Indians coughed up for two-plus years of Andrew Miller - but you wouldn't know it from Stewart's haul for Brad Ziegler. In exchange for their longtime ground-ball specialist with a career 2.49 ERA, the Diamondbacks landed 20-year-old center fielder Luis Asabe and 21-year-old right-hander Jose Almonte from the Boston Red Sox, neither of whom ranked among Baseball America's top 100 prospects in July. Ziegler, meanwhile, crafted a 1.52 ERA in 33 appearances down the stretch for the eventual AL East champions (albeit with a 9:5 shutdown-to-meltdown and -0.32 win probability added).