Nick Piecoro

azcentral sports

SAN DIEGO – As the team stumbles toward the end of a disappointing season, the Diamondbacks have fired Kevin Towers as the club's general manager. The team made the announcement Friday morning.

The move comes less than four months after the hiring of Tony La Russa as the organization's Chief Baseball Officer, a move that most believed would ultimately lead to changes at the top of the baseball operations department.

There was no immediate word on the status of manager Kirk Gibson, though it's unclear if that means he is assured of returning next season.

Towers, hired at the end of the 2010 season, enjoyed immediate success with the Diamondbacks the following year, putting together a team that won 94 games and the National League West division title.

But his teams finished .500 each of the past two seasons, then entered this year with a franchise-record payroll only to lose 22 of the first 30 games and fall quickly into last place. The Diamondbacks were decimated by injuries; they lost No. 1 starter Patrick Corbin to Tommy John surgery before the season began and later lost several other key players, including first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and outfielders Mark Trumbo and A.J. Pollock.

Towers' tenure has been marked by a slew of trades and player personnel moves that left many in the game scratching their heads. His most significant trade, the deal that sent outfielder Justin Upton to the Atlanta Braves, was widely questioned when it was made in January 2013 and looks lopsided nearly two seasons later.

The Diamondbacks traded away a slew of starting pitchers over the past two seasons, including right-handers Ian Kennedy, Trevor Bauer and Jarrod Parker and left-hander Tyler Skaggs. Meanwhile, many of the players they received in return have not lived up to expectations.

Since La Russa's hiring, industry speculation has been rampant about Towers' fate – and about who might replace him. Among the names that have been connected to the position are Cincinnati Reds GM Walt Jocketty, St. Louis Cardinals farm director Gary LaRocque and Diamondbacks scouting director Ray Montgomery. A FOX Sports report from last month, however, indicated Jocketty will remain with the Reds next season.

Photos: Kevin Towers with the Diamondbacks

