Rumors are swirling all over the internet right now that the Dodgers and Mark McGwire are on the verge of a deal for him to become the hitting coach in LA. As you probably know, he's held the position in St. Louis for the past three seasons.
Nearly two months ago the Dodgers relieved Dave Hansen of his duties as hitting coach, and he has since moved on to the same position in Seattle. The Cardinals extended offers to all of their coaches, except their bullpen coach, but all of their contracts expired on October 31st. One report says McGwire has informed the Cardinals that he is going to accept the LA job, but there hasn't been anything from an official source.
My first reaction to this is that it's a great move. He's a proven hitter who worked well over the past few years with a lineup very similar to the Dodgers. I think Kemp and Ethier would benefit greatly from him, as would Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez. The Dodgers bats struggled mightily this year at times, and it became evident that Hansen had no answers. Yes this will bring even more attention on a franchise that is expected to not only contend for a division title, but is clearly aiming for a World Series ring NOW. The huge mid-season trade with Boston made it evident that the Dodgers new ownership group wants to win right away. They're not interested in a 5-year plan, at least not on the surface.
McGwire has long said that his family is very important to him, and since he lives in Orange County with his wife and 5 children, a move to a West Coast team makes sense. Stay tuned, I'll be sure to update this as soon as news becomes official.
UPDATE-The Dodgers have officially announced Mark McGwire as their new hitting coach. Not sure what took so long, but it doesn't matter. He's in LA and should definitely be an upgrade over Dave Hansen.
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