Mariners add new coach by getting a player the Braves just signed to retire originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seattle Braves and Atlanta Braves have found themselves in an unusual situation.
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It involves Austin Nola, the veteran catcher who is the brother of Phillies ace Aaron Nola.
Austin Nola signed with the Braves already this offseason on a minor-league contract.
But now Nola will be coaching for the Mariners instead of playing for the Braves.
This is how USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the news on Tuesday night:
“Catcher Austin Nola, who signed a minor-league contact this winter with Atlanta, has been granted his release to become the Seattle Mariners’ new bullpen coach.”
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While no official announcement has been made, this serves as a de facto retirement for Nola.
He chose to move into a coaching role instead of pursuing the playing position he currently had. That doesn’t sound like someone who will retake the field in a game anytime soon.
It’s a cool pickup for the Mariners, who get a catcher who was just actively in the league to help guide their bullpen.
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Seattle knows what catchers are like as coaches. Their manager, Dan Wilson, was a very good catcher for the Mariners.
The Mariners are looking for all the boosts they can get. They were a single run away from advancing to the first World Series in franchise history.
Instead, Seattle had heartbreak in ALCS Game 7.
Now, the Mariners have a few crucial free agent decisions to consider. But before getting those taken care of, Seattle has added a new coach, one who was just a player, in one of the more curious transactions of the offseason.
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