The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that general manager Kevin Towers has been relieved of his duties, but was offered another position within the organization. If the Milwaukee Brewers miss the playoffs, could the team show GM Doug Melvin the door?
Towers was hired as GM late in the 2010 season and saw immediate success when the Diamondbacks won the NL West division. However, after losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS playoff series, the team was 81-81 in 2012 and 2013, and now an awful 59-81 record in 2014. Arizona is one of the worst in the MLB, sitting 19 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division lead.
Perhaps Towers was a victim of bad luck this year. Prior to the season's start, the team lost their star young pitcher in Patrick Corbin to Tommy John surgery. The same happened to starter Bronson Arroyo in June. In the offseason, Towers traded for Angels outfielder Mark Trumbo and White Sox closer Addison Reed. Trumbo broke his foot less than a month into the season and didn't return until after the All-Star break, while Reed was initially erratic, but has been fairly solid overall. Additionally, the team's top prospect, pitcher Archie Bradley, suffered an elbow injury in April that drastically set back his promotion to the big leagues (he won't be joining the team until spring training, if that).
The team also lost All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt for the year in the beginning of August when he fractured his hand after being hit by a pitch. The D-backs have been 11-18 without him. Starter Brandon McCarthy had a terrible 5.01 ERA in 18 starts with the team before he was traded to the New York Yankees, where he's compiled a 5-4 record in 10 starts with a 2.80 ERA. On top of all of that, Kirk Gibson has done a fairly awful job as the team's manager. So if Towers was fired under all of these conditions, could Brewers GM Doug Melvin be shown the door at the end of the season if Milwaukee misses the playoffs?
The Brewers have chosen the worst time to rattle off a nine-game losing streak. It began in San Diego when they dropped two of three to the Padres, only to return home and suffer a three-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants and being outscored 31-8. It was the first time they were swept at home since August 24-27, 2007. They lost their next three to the Cubs and then the series opener against the Cardinals on Thursday. St. Louis took the division lead earlier this week - after Milwaukee had led all year - and have since gained a four-game cushion over the Brewers, who are hanging on to the second wild card spot by just 1 ½ games.
GM Doug Melvin joined the team in 2002 and ended their streak of 15 seasons without a winning record in 2007, and then made the playoffs in 2008, but lost in the divisional series. They had losing records in 2009 and 2010 before winning the division in 2012 with a 96-66 record, but then lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS. And now, after looking like one of the best teams in baseball for much of the year, the Brewers might not even make the playoffs if they continue this slide. Injuries haven't been kind to them, but it's the GM's job to fill the holes and ensure sufficient depth.
It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season turns out and whether the tenured Melvin will be safe if the team solidifies their September collapse.
