Mark McGwire leaves Dodgers to be Padres bench coach
Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire talks with Justin Turner at the batting cages before a game against San Diego at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 2.
Coaches are coming and going all over the baseball landscape, with the Dodgers as active as anyone.
The latest move came Wednesday afternoon when the Padres announced they had hired Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire as their new bench coach for Manager Andy Green.
McGwire is taking over in San Diego for Dave Roberts, who was introduced Tuesday as the new Dodgers manager.
McGwire, 52, had been the Dodgers hitting coach for the last three years under former manager Don Mattingly. He’d spent the three previous seasons in the same role with the St. Louis Cardinals. McGwire lives in Irvine and wanted to remain close to his home. He had reportedly turned down an offer to be the Diamondbacks hitting coach.
The Dodgers previously lost first base coach Davey Lopes to the Washington Nationals and third base coach Ron Roenicke to the Angels, and Mattingly has said he wants bench coach Tim Wallach to follow him to Miami.
Earlier Wednesday, the Dodgers hired former A’s Manager Bob Geren as Roberts’ bench coach. There also have been reports that farm director Gabe Kapler, himself a contender for the manager’s job, will join Roberts’ coaching staff.
Rick Honeycutt is expected to remain as the Dodgers pitching coach, and ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Wednesday that Arizona’s Turner Ward will be the Dodgers’ new hitting coach.
MORE ON DODGERS
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