Kevin Towers Relieved of General Manager Duties, Offered Another Position

Kevin Towers will no longer be the General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On Friday, the Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa announced that he had been relieved of the position.

“Over the past three months, I have had the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of our baseball operations and have decided to restructure our staff in order to improve our decision-making process,” said La Russa. “I have the utmost respect for Kevin and a friendship with him that dates back many years which has allowed me to appreciate his talents and experience.”

Towers was originally brought on with the organization during the 2010 season becming the fifth General Manager in team history. Since then, the Diamondbacks went 320-317 and won the 2011 West Division Championship in his first season. During his tenure, he most notable dealt Justin Upton, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs and Ian Kennedy who were all key pieces to the Diamondbacks core/future back when they won the division in 2011.

For Towers however, his time with the Diamondbacks may not be over. La Russa mentions that he has been offered another position with the organization. That role according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today is a Senior Scouting position with the team.

“I have offered him a new role in the front office, as I believe his skills fit well within the framework of what we are building,” mentioned La Russa. “Understandably, he would like to see who the general manager is before making his own decision.”

“We are extremely grateful for all that he has done for the D-backs during his four-plus years here, particularly given that he has always put the organization ahead of his own self-interests,” La Russa added. “That tells you all you need to know about him as a person.”

The Diamondbacks new search of a new General Manager is now underway with a month to go before the end of the 2014 season