Manager Torey Lovullo addresses firings, says DBacks ‘need to be better’ on mound in 2025

Manager Torey Lovullo said the Diamondbacks ’ struggles on the mound were the primary reason they wound up missing the playoffs and led to his decision to part ways on Thursday with pitching coach Brent Strom, as well as bullpen coach Mike Fetters and assistant Dan Carlson .

While he agreed it might seem abrupt given that the Diamondbacks are only one season removed from a run to the World Series, he felt the change needed to be made.

“When you look at some of the hard, cold facts, it was the pitching that held us back this year and it was a year-long struggle,” Lovullo said. “We were 27th in the league in pitching and with some of the names that we had, in my opinion, we could have done better. We need to do better.”

Lovullo said he saw Strom’s comments to The Republic on Thursday in which he admitted to not being able to connect with as many of his pitchers as he would like, and Lovullo said he was picking up on that disconnect during the season.

“Nobody outwardly came to me and told me,” Lovullo said, “but you can sense when somebody is not getting everything they want or need.”

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The Diamondbacks had some success stories on the mound in 2024, including the midseason breakout of right-hander Ryne Nelson, who became arguably the club’s most reliable starter, and the continued maturation of reliever Justin Martinez, whose strike-throwing and mound presence improved significantly.

But the club dealt with injuries to right-hander Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez, both of whom missed between half and two-thirds of the season, and received disappointing results from left-hander Jordan Montgomery , who flopped after signing late, and reliever Paul Sewald, who was bumped from the closer’s role in August, creating a void the bullpen struggled to fill.

Lovullo said the club offered to keep Strom on board in some sort of advisory role but added that it “looks like he’s going to move on.”

As it relates to Fetters and Carlson, Lovullo said he was looking for a fresh start on the pitching side.

“They’re all pitching coaches and I was looking for a clean slate,” Lovullo said.

He said he is in no hurry to find replacements and will take his time sifting through candidates.

“I’m looking for connectors,” Lovullo said. “I’m looking for teachers. I’m looking for coaches with unlimited visions yet simplified abilities to teach each pitcher individually.”

Lovullo said the rest of his coaching staff will remain intact next year.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Manager Torey Lovullo addresses firings, says DBacks ‘need to be better’ on mound in 2025