Diamondbacks hire Mike Hazen as general manager

The Diamondbacks have hired Mike Hazen as their executive vice president and general manager, according to a team announcement. Hazen previously served as the general manager of the Red Sox, working under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Hazen is expected to have full control over the Diamondbacks’ front office after serving as an assistant to Dombrowski, replacing fired general manager Dave Stewart in Phoenix. Arizona has stripped chief baseball officer Tony La Russa of decision-making power, overhauling a front office that has been largely ineffective for two seasons.

Hazen, 40, played baseball at Princeton University and has worked with the Red Sox since Feb. 2006.

It is unclear who will replace Hazen as Dombrowski’s No. 2 in Boston, though former Braves general manager Frank Wren appears to be a candidate. Hazen was promoted to the general manager role a year ago after the Red Sox replaced Ben Cherington with Dombrowski and created the president of baseball operations title.

Hazen’s first task with the D-Backs will be to hire a new manager, as Chip Hale was fired along with Stewart earlier in the month. Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo is now expected to be a strong candidate for Arizona, due to his familiarity with Hazen. Other candidates include Braves first base coach Eddie Perez and Diamondbacks Triple-A manager Phil Nevin.

Hazen was not publicly linked to the Arizona job before landing it, though the club was reportedly considering Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo, Dodgers senior adviser Ned Colletti, MLB executives Kim Ng and Peter Woodfork and assistants Bryan Minniti and Mike Bell.