Report: La Russa to stay with D-Backs in advisory role
The winds of change have swept through the Arizona Diamondbacks' front office, but at least one prominent name appears be staying put - albeit with a different title.
Former Diamondbacks chief baseball officer Tony La Russa will reportedly stay with the team in an advisory role as part of a revamped front office that includes new executive vice-president and general manager Mike Hazen, according to multiple reports.
Hazen will report to team president and CEO Derrick Hall, according to Fanrag Sports' Jack Magruder.
Although La Russa's day-to-day role will likely be reduced in the new position, the Hall of Fame manager still holds some level of influence with team owner Ken Kendrick. La Russa was apparently allowed to be a part of the team's GM interview process that ultimately resulted in Hazen getting the job, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported.
Related: D-Backs tab Mike Hazen for GM
La Russa, who won three World Series championships as a manager, had served as the D-Backs' chief baseball officer since May 2014. Under his watch, the team hired his former pitcher Dave Stewart as GM; Stewart and La Russa helped engineer a blockbuster offseason that saw the team sign coveted free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke and trade for pitcher Shelby Miller.
Their visions of a playoff appearance in 2016 didn't come to fruition, however - Arizona finished 22 games out of first place - and Stewart was fired after the season ended.
Hazen, the Boston Red Sox GM under president Dave Dombrowski this past year, was named Stewart's replacement earlier Sunday.