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The Diamondbacks have extended the GM Mike Mike, announced the team and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweeted. The terms of the multiannual pact remain unknown for the moment.
It is tempting to raise the eyebrows at the chosen moment. Hazen was first hired by the Red Sox and is deeply rooted. The powerful Boston organization has just launched a hiring search for a new chief of baseball operations. The team said it was not an important factor as negotiations for the new contract began before BoSox's headquarters were opened.
In any event, it is understandable that the Arizona organization is interested in settling Hazen's long-term status – and ensuring that it is present in the years to come. His initial contract lasted the entire 2020 season, which means he would have entered the off season as a kind of lame duck.
Although the Snakes have not been a resounding success since Hazen took over, it's hard to discuss the work he's done. Boston's longtime executive, in turn, has been on the heels of an extremely disappointing 2016 season. At the time, the organization faced a series of challenges: a list of talented but insufficient MLB players, some ambitious wage commitments, and a questionable farming system.
It seems fair to say that there have been improvements on all fronts up to now, Hazen addressing particularly delicate transaction issues. Since his arrival, Hazen has traded his superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke. It has allowed long-time stars ONE J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin leave as free agents. And yet, the club is getting closer to a third consecutive winning campaign, even though it's now overseeing a manageable list of future payroll obligations and has a much improved lead pool.
Remarkably, Hazen has not yet signed a single free agent in a contract worth $ 10 million or more. He added a number of low-cost veterans, who did not all work, but who did most of his most outstanding work through operations and events. d & # 39; extensions.
Hazen's first contract remains fascinating. He introduced the extended since Ketel Marte, who has now become a star, with the talented but often wounded Taijuan Walker in an exchange that costs Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura. When snakes made a surprise charge in his first year at the helm, Hazen landed J.D. Martinez for a relative pittance. He could not reach an agreement with JDM, but extended the acquisition of his colleagues Eduardo Escobar at an attractive rate. The Goldy swap in mesh Luke Weaver and Carson Kelly (with perspective Andy Young) for one last season of the old MVP.
More recently, the Greinke agreement has removed most of the resulting obligations for the veteran, while adding four promising perspectives. Hazen cashed in a well-considered perspective Chisholm Jazz for intriguing young rotating part Zac Gallen and also brought in stable starting entry Mike Leake for cheap. Despite the loss of Greinke, the Snakes have threatened to play a surprise card with a Wild Card – although this is a long shot at the moment.
All in all, this is an impressive performance so far for Hazen, who will have more interesting decisions to make this winter. The D-Backs have a lot to do to challenge the Dodgers, but they have a lot of salary space and young talent. It is unlikely that we will continue to see a strategy that largely defies simple categorization, as Hazen does not focus on "competition" or "rebuilding", but on cost-effective decision-making that enhances the talent base of the organization.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
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