Arizona Diamondbacks fire Dave Stewart and Chip Hale

Well, that didn’t take long. I’m just glad I managed to get my "Should they stay or should they go" piece this morning, for barely half an hour later came official word from the Diamondbacks. They are parting ways both with General Manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale. Stewart had been hired in late September 2014, to replace Kevin Towers. Hale came on board the following month, so both had about two years in their positions.

The question is, how much further the changes will extend. As noted in the earlier piece, Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa appeared to nail his colors to the Stewart mast recently,. telling KTAR "I think there’s a matter of integrity... it’s hard for me to see agreeing to let somebody go that I don’t think should be let go." Whether he will now fall on his own sword, or if the team wishes to retain his services, will doubtless become clear in the next few days.

Chip Hale had been scheduled to address the media at Chase Field at 1:30pm. I presume that didn’t happen, but it appears Ken Kendrick and Derrick Hall will talk to the press at 3pm instead. We’ll have full coverage of that. Here’s the official press-release.

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced that they will not renew the contract of Sr. Vice President & General Manager Dave Stewart while the team has also parted ways with Manager Chip Hale.

The announcement was made by Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick and President & CEO Derrick Hall, who will immediately begin the search for a new General Manager. "We are very grateful to Dave and Chip who are widely respected throughout the game of baseball," said Kendrick. "Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary. We are still discussing what the appropriate role for Tony La Russa will be going forward."

"Stew and Chip are quality individuals who I consider friends and I respect greatly," said Hall. "I thank them for their tireless efforts while wearing our logo on their chests. We will look to move quickly as we turn the page and begin another chapter for this proud franchise."

La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager and one of baseball’s most respected figures, was hired as Chief Baseball Officer in May, 2014, to serve as the head of the club’s baseball operations. La Russa hired Stewart, a highly respected former player, executive and agent, to serve as the fourth general manager in franchise history, joining Joe Garagiola Jr., Josh Byrnes and Kevin Towers. The duo named Hale, an experienced former Major League player and coach who had previously managed in the D-backs farm system, as the team’s manager in December, 2014. During the past 2 seasons, the D-backs have posted a 148-176 record.