Thus far in Spring Training the Los Angeles Dodgers have been joined by Eric Gagne, Orel Hershiser and Maury Wills as guest instructors. That’s par for course, as Los Angeles welcomed the likes of Eric Karros, Sandy Koufax and Greg Maddux, among others, in previous years.
Koufax had been a fixture in camp since he was hired as a special advisor to Dodgers chairman Mark Walter in January 2013. The Hall of Famer resigned from the position last year, though Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stressed that the club maintains an open-door policy with Koufax.
While Gagne has previously provided instruction during the spring, this year comes with an added twist as the club’s former closer is mulling a comeback attempt. According Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Dodgers are among the clubs with some level of interest in the 41-year-old:
The Dodgers are one of several teams considering their old Cy Young closer Eric Gagne.
Gagne recently threw a bullpen session at Camelback Ranch and though it wasn’t considered a tryout, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi were part of the contingent who watched the right-hander.
In 10 Major League seasons with the Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, Gagne recorded 187 saves with a 3.47 ERA. He was a three-time All-Star with the Dodgers, and won the National League Cy Young award in 2003 when he converted all 55 of his save opportunities and yielded a 1.10 ERA.
From 2002-04, Gagne converted a Major League record 84 consecutive saves. His legacy was tainted when Gagne’s name was was included in the Mitchell Report in 2007 for using HGH (Human Growth Hormone).
Gagne previously attempted a comeback with the Dodgers in 2010 after signing a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Gagne was reassigned to Minor League camp after three appearances and later granted his release.
If Gagne is not signed prior to the 2017 World Baseball Classic beginning, he’ll first return to competitive action as a member of Team Canada’s pitching staff. Canada begins pool play on March 9 at Marlins Park.
