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Athletics to bring back Mark McGwire as a special assistant originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Athletics have had a very busy offseason thus far, especially to their standards.
They were able to lock up both Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson long-term. Additionally, they were able to bring in Jeff McNeil via trade.
The Athletics have also remained active in recent days, claiming Andy Ibanez off of waivers and reaching a free agent agreement with right-handed reliever Scott Barlow.
That said, they made an internal move Friday, agreeing to sign 12-time All-Star Mark McGwire as a special assistant.
This marks a reunion between the two sides, as McGwire spent 12 seasons with the Athletics between 1986-1997.
During his A's tenure, McGwire dominated opposing pitchers, racking up 363 home runs, 941 RBIs and 1,1157 hits.
One of his strongest season with the Athletics came in 1987 where he posted 49 home runs, 118 RBIs and a league-leading .618 slugging percentage.
He's also famous for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting 70 home runs with 147 RBIs in a historic 1998 season.
McGwire also won a championship in St. Louis as a hitting coach in 2011.
With a nine-year coaching career following a 16-year playing career, McGwire will have a wealth of knowledge to offer the Athletics' young stars.
Given that the A's have a young slugger of their own (Nick Kurtz), McGwire's presence could be a huge factor in Kurtz' development beyond his rookie season.
Although McGwire won't be active for the Athletics in 2026, adding his experience is another solid move for a great young team on the brink of playoff contention.
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