Speaking after the introductory press conference for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman stated the club hoped to have the coaching staff in place by the end of the week.
In the days that followed, the Dodgers reportedly added Bob Geren, Gabe Kapler and Turner Ward to Roberts’ staff.
Geren leaves his post as bench coach with the New York Mets for the same position with the Dodgers.
Meanwhile Ward, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ hitting coach, is expected to now hold fill that job for the Dodgers. There’s yet to be indication of what role Kapler will have.
While the Dodgers are ramping up activity ahead of Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings, they’ll add former Seattle Mariners first base coach Chris Woodward to their staff, via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
Sources: Former #Mariners 1B coach Chris Woodward will be part of Dave Roberts’ staff with #Dodgers.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2015
Woodward and Mariners hitting coach Edgar Martinez were the only coaches offered contracts to return with Seattle in 2016. Martinez accepted the offer, while Woodward declined.
Woodward was the Mariners first base coach and infield instructor the past two years under former manager Lloyd McClendon. Kyle Seager, the brother of Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, praised Woodward for his teaching and guidance.
After playing 12 seasons in the Majors, Woodward retired in 2012. He was hired by the Mariners, a club he spent parts of the 2009 and 2010 seasons playing for, as their Minor League infield coordinator in 2013.
He received a promotion to the Mariners’ Major League staff in the latter stages of that season, where he remained through this year.
