Diamondbacks hire Torey Lovullo as manager

The Diamondbacks have hired Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as their next manager, as first reported by John Gambadoro of 98.7 Phoenix. A press conference to announce the hiring will be held Monday.

Lovullo has long been considered the favorite for the opening in Arizona due to his strong relationship with new Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen. Hazen, who joined the D-Backs from the Red Sox last month, ran an exhaustive managerial search before focusing on Lovullo and Triple-A manager Phil Nevin as finalists to replace Chip Hale.

Lovullo, 51, appeared in eight major-league seasons from 1988 to 1999 before embarking on a minor-league managing career that lasted from 2005 to 2010. He worked as the Blue Jays first base coach in 2011 and 2012 before leaving for Boston in 2013 and being the bench coach there until today.

Lovullo managed the Red Sox for the last seven weeks of last season after manager John Farrell’s cancer diagnosis in mid-August. He impressed with his leadership abilities during that stint, and was considered a possible heir to Farrell in Boston if a change was made.

Lovullo is the third key member of the Red Sox organization to leave for Arizona this offseason, along with Hazen and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye. With today’s hire, the Rockies are the only team currently looking for a manager.