Dave Stewart is the gift that keeps on giving.
Former Arizona Diamondbacks general manager has been a quote machine since getting canned from the position earlier this week. Stewart lamented about having “better things to do” now that he’s unemployed and now, in an interview with Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, he dove into his relationship with the organization.
Stewart said he and owner Ken Kendrick weren’t always on the same page.
While Stewart showed no bitterness, he said, “The owner and I weren’t on the same page. We are different. Different in how we think. Different philosophies. That happens.”
Asked how they were different, Stewart said in “how we view players, how we evaluate players.”
Conflicting viewpoints on player evaluation makes it no surprise Stewart’s tenure with the Diamondbacks was bound to fail. Stewart and former D-Backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa made for an unsavory management group in Arizona.
Upon reflection, Stewart did much more harm than good. Signing Zack Greinke to an insane $200+ million deal and trading away too many assets to the Atlanta Braves for Shelby Miller will define Stewart’s time with the club, overshadowing impressive acquisitions like Jean Segura and Robbie Ray.
The breakup was best for Stewart and the Diamondbacks. Stewart unintentionally railroaded both the current and future prospects of the team, making some costly management errors. There’s no way in good conscience Arizona could allow him to continue being a key decision maker for the organization. Stewart doesn’t come across like a bad dude, but as a general manager, it’s a different story.