After five consecutive losing seasons, the Arizona Diamondbacks decided against a complete rebuild. The strategy worked and they are now one of the baseball’s best teams
By Jared Diamond | The Wall Street Journal
When Mike Hazen took over as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ general manager in October, he inherited the type of dire situation that often results in a full-blown teardown.
Despite considerable hype heading into 2016, the Diamondbacks finished with a dismal record of 69-93, failing to top the .500 mark for the fifth consecutive season. Even worse, they faced payroll constraints in the wake of the $206.5 million mega-deal their previous regime awarded pitcher Zack Greinke and possessed a farm system that ranked among the weakest in the majors. Team president and CEO Derrick Hall described the team as being in “a state of disarray and bewilderment.”
These days, such circumstances usually lead to a familiar chain of events—the quick sell-off of all valuable assets, followed by a slow, painful climb back to prominence. You might know this controversial strategy by another name: “tanking,” one of the trendiest and dirtiest words in sports.
