Athletics Hire Dave Stewart As Special Assistant

The Athletics announced that former big leaguer Dave Stewart has been hired as a special assistant to player development for the 2025 season. The announcement didn’t provide much detail on Stewart’s exact role but he’ll reconnect with the franchise he’s been most associated with over the years.

Now 67, Stewart pitched in the big leagues from 1978 to 1995. His best seasons were spent in Oakland. From 1987 to 1992, he made 212 starts for the A’s, allowing 3.56 earned runs per nine. That stretch included a World Series victory for the club in 1989, with Stewart being named MVP of the series. He threw a complete game shutout in game one against the Giants. An earthquake led to a 10-day delay in the series, which allowed Stewart to also start game three, surrendering three earned runs in seven innings. The A’s finished the sweep the next day.

Stewart would go on to join the Blue Jays for the 1993 and 1994 seasons, winning another World Series in the first of those campaigns with Toronto. He returned to the A’s in 1995, in what would eventually turn out to be his final season as a player.

He then moved into his post-playing days with the A’s. He served as assistant to general manager Sandy Alderson in 1996, though he bounced around after that, working in various roles for all kinds of employers. He took front office and/or coaching roles with the Padres, Jays and Brewers. He founded the Sports Management Partners agency. He was hired by the Diamondbacks to be general manager and held that job for about two years, from September of 2014 to October of 2016.

As of a few years ago, Stewart was part of a group that was trying to get an expansion MLB franchise in Nashville. A few months ago, it was reported that he was no longer a part of that group, but that a different group he was leading was trying to buy the White Sox.

It’s unclear what stage those ownerships pursuits are at right now, but it seems Stewart will circle back to the A’s. The franchise is now in an interim period, as they plan to play in West Sacramento for the next three seasons as they build a new stadium in Las Vegas to be their new permanent home. During this period of upheaval for the franchise, as they move on from one fanbase and look to build a new one from scratch, Stewart will come back as a familiar face and presumably impart some wisdom on the club’s younger players.