Mariners hire Stottlemyre

Mel Stottlemyre, a fixture on the New York Yankees' coaching staff for a decade, came out of retirement on Monday to join the Seattle Mariners as their pitching coach.

The hiring of Stottlemyre, a former pitching coach with both the Yankees and New York Mets, was part of a coaching staff overhaul in Seattle, where the Mariners also added Jim Riggleman and Norm Charlton.

Riggleman, 54, an ex-manager in the majors, will be the bench coach. He spent the past three seasons as a minor league field coordinator with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Charlton, who spent 13 seasons as a relief pitcher in the big leagues, will be the bullpen coach. Also, Eddie Rodriguez takes over as the Mariners' first base coach.

Stottlemyre, 65, was manager Joe Torre's right-hand man and pitching coach with the Yankees from 1996 to 2005, during which New York won four World Series. He resigned after the '05 season, saying he was tired of owner George Steinbrenner's second-guessing.

Stottlemyre was a spring training instructor for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. He has been living in the Seattle suburb of Sammamish since leaving the Yankees after a 10-year term, following the 2005 season.

Seattle manager John McLaren, a major league coach for 21 years before taking the helm when Mike Hargrove abruptly resigned on July 2, has experience working with each of his new hires -- not to mention Larry Bowa.

A longtime major league shortstop and former manager of the Padres and Phillies, Bowa was on Joe Torre's staff with the Yankees last season. McLaren has asked him to be Seattle's new third base coach.

Bowa, mentioned as a possible replacement in New York now that Torre is gone, has asked for time to take care of a private issue not directly affecting himself before he answers the Mariners' offer, but indications are he will accept.

The only member of Hargrove's staff from the beginning of last season who will return for 2008 is hitting coach Jeff Pentland.