SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Football season is now over and for baseball fans, that means one thing. Spring Training is just a couple of days away.
Fifteen Major League Baseball clubs will be at 10 ballparks around the Valley until late March as they prepare for the regular season and that includes the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ahead of the return to the diamond, D-backs pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly and manager Torey Lovullo were on the links out at TPC Scottsdale for the Annexus Pro-Am at the WM Phoenix Open, which is where 12News got the chance to catch up with Lovullo.
"I'll give them a big hug," Lovullo said when asked what he would get General Manager Mike Hazen and Owner Ken Kendrick for the players they added to the D-backs roster this offseason.
"I've been giving them big hugs," Lovullo added. "I'm a hugger. I think it throws them off. They're like, 'C'mon Torey. Enough is enough.' I can't thank ownership enough for committing they way they did and then Mike and company to go out and get the right guys."
The D-backs started the offseason by acquiring third baseman Eugenio Suárez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. They then added to their starting rotation by signing free agent left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million deal. That was followed by the team re-signing outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to a three-year, $42 million deal. Arizona rounded off the offseason by signing designated hitter/outfielder Joc Pederson to a one-year, $12.5 million deal.
Lovullo said this is the front office coming through on a promise to improve the team following their World Series loss to the Texas Rangers.
"They absolutely did and from the first time I met Ken, he re-invested his profits into this ballclub," Lovullo said. "And he did that this year."
After all of those moves, the D-backs will have the highest payroll in team history, as it is projected to be almost $137 million, up from $127 million in 2023, by Sportrac.com.
"The payroll increase, which we're very thankful for, but I'm not involved with that, I'm just thrilled with the players that we got," Lovullo said. "We got the right guys, we vetted, we know they're going to help us win games."
The D-backs' pitchers and catchers officially report to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale for the beginning of Spring Training on Valentine's Day. The first full team workout will be on Feb. 19. Starting the season on the holiday is tough for Lovullo and his wife, Kristen, but it is something they've gotten used to over the years.
"It seems like every time it falls on that," Lovullo said. "My wife is conditioned to it, so I'm going to try and make it up to her the best way that I know how.
"I remember two years ago, we had all of our meetings, our pre-Spring Training meetings, on Valentine's Day, and that was like a nine-hour day, so she gets it."
Lovullo also made it clear his team cannot wait to get back to work.
"We're ready to go," Lovullo said. "Valentine's Day is reporting day, we know what's ahead of us. We have a standard we have to uphold and we're gonna try to get there."
The D-backs' first Spring Training game will be on Friday, Feb. 23 at 1:10 p.m. against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields. Opening Day will be on March 30 at 7:10 p.m. at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix and will also be against the Rockies.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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