PHOENIX – After a 9-4 loss to the Padres on the final day of the MLB season eliminated the Diamondbacks from the playoff chase, manager Torey Lovullo addressed perhaps the franchise’s biggest offseason question.

With his contract expiring and other teams reportedly interested in his services, Lovullo could not provide a definitive answer on what’s next for him after 10 seasons at Arizona’s helm. He could only offer a wish.  

“I just want to be wanted,” he told reporters Sunday.

The biggest question heading into the offseason is whether the Diamondbacks still want Lovullo.

He has managed the team since 2017 and is the longest-tenured manager in franchise history. 

Will that alone be enough for him to keep his job? 

Since arriving, Lovullo has accumulated 750 wins as manager, with a .494 winning percentage overall. He also won the National League Manager of the Year award in his first season in Arizona.

He has kept the Diamondbacks competitive for the majority of his tenure, with six winning seasons and two postseason berths. 

In 2023, after winning just 84 games in the regular season, Lovullo and the Diamondbacks won the National League pennant as the lowest-seeded playoff team. The team came up just short in the World Series, losing to the Rangers in five games. 

However, Lovullo’s teams have also had some heartbreaking ends to their seasons since then, missing the playoffs by one game in 2024 and two games in 2026. 

Despite the disappointments of the past few seasons, the players still want to play for Lovullo. 

“He’s been a great manager,” pitcher Corbin Burnes said. “He’s in here pulling for us every day and wants us to play hard and we want to play hard for him. I don’t know what’s going to happen but hopefully he’s back next season.” 

Lovullo’s leadership as a manager is one trait that has stood out among the players the past few years. 

“He’s had a tremendous impact here,” reliever Kevin Ginkel said. “I think a lot of us that have come up through the system and learned from his teachings have gone a long way for us. Even when I was a young player, the veterans on the team had a lot of respect for him and the way he operated.” 

Lovullo has been described as a player’s manager. 

“He’s been nothing but kind and open with me,” utilityman Tim Tawa said. “When I got called up in 2025 he was very welcoming and treated me exactly how a player wants to be treated. So I definitely appreciate him for that.” 

The Diamondbacks had their struggles in 2026. Playing without Burnes, their ace, for a majority of the season due to injury did not make things easier as he made just three starts this season. 

Still, the team was 49-47 at the All-Star break and played well in the second half, entering September six games over .500 and tied with the Padres for the final National League wild card.

After battling throughout the month of September, including winning six games in a row during the final week of the season, the team was eliminated after the Phillies defeated the Rays on Sunday, ultimately clinching the third and final NL wild card. 

Although the Diamondbacks came up just short of a playoff berth, players credited their manager for motivating them to keep battling until the very end. Specifically, Lovullo gave the Diamondbacks bullpen a boost of confidence down the final stretch. 

“It was all hands on deck after the All-Star break,” Brandyn Garcia said. “He talked to us as a bullpen and said we needed to pick up some of the slack down the stretch. Throughout that time he gave us praise for it which helped lead us to keep it up.” 

Garcia is also impressed with what Lovullo has accomplished in Arizona the past decade. 

“That means he’s doing something right,” Garcia said. “If you’re anywhere for 10 years that’s always a good sign. I think he’s got plenty more to come here. I would really love to see him come back.” 

It’s obvious that many of the players enjoy playing for Lovullo and are eager to see him return, but the front office and ownership will ultimately make the decision. At least publicly, they are aware of the respect Lovullo engenders.

“If he walks out this door, he’s going to get a job in a heartbeat, and he should because I do think he’s one of the best managers in the game,” Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall told KTAR.

Lovullo signed a contract extension in 2023 that ran through 2026. The Diamondbacks chose to not extend their longtime skipper throughout the course of the regular season.

Per reports, other teams have shown interest in hiring the free agent manager. The Seattle Mariners are one of them after firing manager Dan Wilson. 

The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros also have managers with expiring contracts. 

No matter where Lovullo ends up, his players know his value. 

 “I really enjoy having him as a manager,” Garcia said. “But wherever it takes him, if it’s not here, he’s going to be successful somewhere because he’s a great manager.”

This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.