Major League Baseball

Disappointing D-backs fire GM Towers; Gibson in limbo?

Published Sep. 5, 2014 3:54 a.m. ET

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The Arizona Diamondbacks fired general manager Kevin Towers, the team announced Friday morning. The news was first reported by The Arizona Republic on Thursday night.

The D-backs are currently in the middle of a 10-game road trip, opening a three-game set at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Following Thursday's 5-1 victory at San Diego, Arizona’s record stood at 59-81, the second-worst mark in the NL and third-worst in the majors — the Colorado Rockies are 56-84 and the Texas Rangers are 53-87.

D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa said in a statement that Towers has the opportunity to take another front-office job within the team if he wishes.

"We are extremely grateful for all that he has done for the D-backs during his four-plus years here, particularly given that he has always put the organization ahead of his own self-interests," D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa said in a statement. "That tells you all you need to know about him as a person."

Arizona has been affected by injuries to key players this season. Ace Patrick Corbin was lost to Tommy John surgery before Opening Day; slugger Paul Goldschmidt, who led the NL with 36 homers and 125 RBI last year, suffered a fractured left hand on Aug. 1; and Mark Trumbo, a key acquisition from the Angels in the offseason, was on the DL between April 22 and July 11.

Towers took over as Arizona's GM in September 2010. In his first full season with the D-backs, they improved by 29 games from the year before and won the NL West with a 94-68 record. Their season ended with a 3-2, best-of-five NLDS loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Arizona followed with consecutive 81-81 campaigns in 2012 and '13.

Before joining the D-backs, Towers was a special assignment scout for the New York Yankees in 2010, and was San Diego's GM from 1995-2009.

During his tenure with the Padres, the club won four NL West titles and made one World Series appearance — a 4-0 sweep by the Yankees in 1998.

The opening month of this season put the D-backs in a big hole. They started with consecutive losses to the Dodgers in Sydney, Australia, in March, and ended April with a 9-22 record.

They played .500 ball from May 1 to July 31, going 39-39, but struggled with a 9-18 mark in August.

AZCentral.com reported that there was no immediate status of manager Kirk Gibson, who is in his fourth year at the helm.

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