The Arizona Diamondbacks tapped into the Boston Red Sox organization for their new executive vice president and general manager, naming Mike Hazen to replace Dave Stewart.
"We feel very strongly that we have found the ideal candidate to lead our baseball operations," Arizona managing general partner Ken Kendrick said in a statement. "Mike's reputation throughout the game is impeccable, and his championship experience gives us great confidence in naming him to this position."
Hazen, 40, had been serving as general manager of the Red Sox, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has the final say on baseball decisions. As executive vice president and general manager of the Diamondbacks, Hazen will have the authority.
Dombrowski released a statement Sunday about the hire:
"While this is certainly a significant loss for the Red Sox organization, we are extremely happy for Mike and his family as they begin this new opportunity in Arizona. As one of the most respected young baseball executives in the game, Mike is more than deserving of this position. On behalf of the club, we would like to thank Mike for his 11 years of service to the Red Sox and wish him well in his new role. He will be missed by all of his colleagues here at the Boston Red Sox. In the meantime, a search for a new general manager for the Boston Red Sox is underway."
Hazen is a Massachusetts native who has worked for the Red Sox since 2006, also holding the titles of director of player development and then vice president of player development and amateur scouting.
The Diamondbacks fired Stewart after a two-year run. Hazen will be charged with finding a new manager because Chip Hale was also let go by Arizona this offseason.
Hazen previously spent five seasons with the Cleveland Indians, working in scouting and player development. He graduated from Princeton and played two seasons in the minor leagues.
Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, with whom Hazen has worked closely in Cleveland and Boston, likely will be a leading candidate, perhaps even the front-runner.
Lovullo has long been considered a top managerial prospect and might even have landed a job last winter after leading the Red Sox to a 28-20 record over the final two months of the 2015 season. But the Sox asked Lovullo to commit to returning as bench coach while manager John Farrell continued his recovery from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Dombrowski said this week that Lovullo is now free to pursue managerial openings.
The Diamondbacks made a leadership change after failing to reach the playoffs five straight seasons. Arizona has not had a winning season since taking the NL West title in 2011 and went 69-93 in 2016.
"I'm extremely grateful for this incredible opportunity to help the D-backs reach the next level," Hazen said. "This is a franchise that has experienced a lot of success both on and off the field in less than two decades of existence, and I'm looking forward to working with Ken and Derrick to help bring back a tradition of winning to Arizona."
Information from EPSN's Scott Lauber and The Associated Press was used in this report.