Welcome to the D-backs Beat newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert, and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. Let's get right to it … |
It was before Christmas, and Torey Lovullo was on a Southwest Airlines plane flying home to Phoenix from Buffalo with his wife, Kristen, when he got a text from Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick. “Where are you?" Kendrick texted. “And why aren’t you picking up your phone?” “I’m like, ‘Oh God, why is the owner of the team trying to get a hold of me over and over again?” Lovullo said. “And my wife [teasingly said], ‘You’re getting fired’ and I’m like, ‘No I’m not!” After explaining that he was midair and could only text, Kendrick asked him to call when he landed in Phoenix, which Lovullo did. “I was at baggage claim No. 5 at Terminal 4 of Sky Harbor Airport when I had the conversation with him,” Lovullo said. |
With GM Mike Hazen in New Zealand with his sons and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye also out of the country on vacation, Kendrick was handling the negotiations with agent Scott Boras in an attempt to shock the baseball world and sign free agent right-hander Corbin Burnes. “I knew right as Ken got involved, it was very serious” Lovullo said. “I knew it was on that level. And we had this conversation, which is almost unbelievable when I tell it, and he said, ‘Well, I want to just get the download on what you think about him, how he fits in the clubhouse, all sorts of things.’” When they were finished talking, Kendrick ended the call by saying, “I will try and give you the best Christmas present.” Not long after that, Lovullo was in California visiting his mom. He was laying in his hotel room bed when he got a text from his friend Reid Ferguson, the long snapper for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. “Corbin Burnes????” the text read. “You guys are going to win the World Series!” |
All of a sudden, all kinds of text messages started flowing in saying roughly the same thing. “So I got on this thing called Google and I’m like, it happened!” Lovullo said. It took Lovullo back to when he had first heard about the possibility that the Diamondbacks could be in the mix for Burnes in mid-December. “I thought it would be a pretty savage move if we could pull this off,” Lovullo said. |
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Nothing wins the hearts of new teammates like free food, especially when it’s good food. Burnes had a food truck come out to Salt River Fields and set up to provide free tacos for his teammates and Diamondbacks staff members. “It’s a company I've used quite a bit,” Burnes said. “And, you know, the guys said they like having taco trucks. So it's just a way to mix things up and get to know the guys a little bit. They're all appreciative. I think everyone at lunchtime gets pretty hungry.” |
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• Outfielder Corbin Carroll, who left Sunday afternoon’s game with the Rangers after the third inning with a tight lower back, got treatment Monday. With Tuesday’s scheduled off-day, Carroll will once again rest before being re-evaluated Wednesday. As a sign of how minimal the concern is that the injury is serious, the Diamondbacks do not have any plans to send Carroll for an MRI. • Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (left index finger flexor strain) faced hitters for the first time this spring in a batting practice session Monday. He threw around 25 pitches and will likely throw one more live BP session before getting into a game. • Right-hander Kendall Graveman will be held out of throwing for at least a few days due to mid-back tightness. Graveman was signed to a Major League deal just after camp opened. • Wednesday’s starting lineup against the Giants at Salt River Fields will feature most of the Diamondbacks’ expected starting position players. |
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