This story was excerpted from Steve Gilbert’s D-backs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
I’m Steve Gilbert and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. I'm currently on vacation but before I left I got the chance to ask team president/CEO Derrick Hall some questions. Here's what he had to say ...
MLB.com: Derrick, thanks for taking the time to do this. Before we look forward to next season, I'd like to get your thoughts on the past season. With all the injuries to key players, the team managed to stay alive in the NL Wild Card race up until the final day. How do you view the way the season went?
Hall: I believe the season was a success with all of our injuries and how manager Torey Lovullo had us in it until the last minute. I am never happy about not making the postseason, but we had roster challenges all year and there was great creativity displayed by our baseball executives. We also took advantage of playing our young and talented prospects from the Minors to plug some holes. They proved they can be here and gained tremendous experience in critical games. I also give a strong nod to our bullpen, which became a strength. Playing meaningful games in September is what you want.
MLB.com: The 25th anniversary of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series passed recently, and the organization honored that team with a reunion in September. How do you feel like that went?
Hall: It was as wonderful a tribute and celebration as I have seen for a reunion. Our staff did a spectacular job. The feedback from the former players and staff who attended the weekend's events was tremendous. They are family and I believe they felt it while returning. It was very special for our loyal fans too.
MLB.com: Since the run to the World Series in 2023, the team has come within a game or two of making the playoffs the past few seasons while ownership has stretched the budget to try and get back. How do you expect the payroll to look in the coming season?
Hall: I do not think we need to spend at that level to win and believe it will come down. I realize I said the same before last season and we obviously increased, but with so many young players, we should be able to better manage a Major League budget without sacrificing our competitiveness. In fact, we would only do so if we thought we would improve our results as well.
MLB.com: Where do things currently stand with regards to the stadium renovations? Last offseason you fixed the roof and added the massive scoreboard and ribbon boards. There's always maintenance done every year to improve things. What is planned for this offseason?
Hall: We are looking at some projects that will improve the fan experience, especially in the upper deck. The large projects like repairing the HVAC and the exterior roof have not started as we continue to negotiate a new lease agreement with our stadium district board. Until that is complete, we do not want to utilize any of the tax recollection dollars.