The Arizona Diamondbacks are bringing back Torey Lovullo, the winningest manager in franchise history, a source told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on Thursday.
Lovullo, 61, whose deal expired after this season, will receive a new two-year contract, the Arizona Republic reported.
Lovullo's future with the club was in flux after the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs for a third straight year. Arizona was eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the regular season for the second time in three seasons when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Sunday.
The D-backs finished with an 86-76 record -- the best in MLB for a team that didn't qualify for October baseball.
"I want to win a world championship with this organization, but I want to be wanted," Lovullo said after the final game of the regular season. "... I'll leave it at that."
He said earlier this month that he thought the Diamondbacks needed to make the playoffs for him and his coaching staff to return next season.
Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall recently said he thinks Lovullo likely did the best managing job of his career this season while Arizona struggled with major injuries and distractions that included the latest bizarre absence of star Ketel Marte.
Lovullo has gone 750-768 during a full decade in charge, with the highlight being a surprise World Series appearance in 2023. He is the third-longest-tenured manager in the big leagues behind Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash and Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts.
The affable Lovullo is a popular presence in the organization. He played eight seasons in the big leagues for seven teams in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox when they won the World Series in 2013 and played college baseball at UCLA.
"Arizona is my home," Lovullo said after the final game of the season. "I love Arizona, and the people and the fans are spectacular. The group that I work for is amazing. I love being around them every single day, and I don't want that to change."
Lovullo was hired as Arizona's manager four weeks after Hazen took over as general manager, and their tenures are still intertwined. Their Diamondbacks have had the misfortune to be in the NL West with the dominant Dodgers, who have won 13 of the last 14 division titles -- and with the San Diego Padres, who have made the postseason in five of the past seven years during the best stretch in franchise history.
Arizona, however, hasn't been able to snare a wild-card berth despite rosters full of veteran talent and a solid young core, repeatedly falling just short at big moments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.