Angels hire Chavez as special assistant to GM

KANSAS CITY -- The Angels have hired former American League Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman Eric Chavez as a special assistant to new general manager Billy Eppler, the first addition to a front office that could undergo some major changes this offseason.

Chavez, 37, retired as a player midway through the 2014 season and spent the last year as a special-assignment scout for Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who employed Eppler as his right-hand man. With the Angels, Eppler said Chavez will be a "jack of all trades," doing some pro scouting, helping out at the Minor League levels and providing on-field instruction during Spring Training.

Chavez played 17 seasons in the big leagues, spending his first 13 with the A's. His best years came from 2001-06, when Chavez won six consecutive Gold Glove Awards, batted .273 and averaged 29 homers and 96 RBIs per season.

"He can bring a high sense of baseball acumen in a number of areas, through experience, through just how he relates to people, how he'll relate to young players, older players, coaches, scouts, front-office people," said Eppler, who also had Chavez as a player with the Yankees from 2011-12. "He's just a really magnetic personality and someone I have a lot of trust and a lot of faith in."