Major League Baseball

Nationals hire Jack McKeon, 88, as senior adviser to GM

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:13 p.m. ET

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals have hired Jack McKeon as a senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo.

Washington on Wednesday confirmed the hiring of the 88-year-old McKeon, first reported by The Athletic. McKeon's son, Kasey, is the Nationals' director of player procurement.

The elder McKeon spent parts of 16 seasons as a major league manager, compiling a 1,051-990 record and winning the World Series with the Marlins in 2003. He returned as Marlins interim manager at age 80 for the final 90 games of the 2011 season. He was general manager of the San Diego Padres from 1980-1990, assembling the team that won the 1984 NL pennant, and did double duty as field manager from 1988-90.

McKeon, nicknamed "Trader Jack," has a reputation for turning around losing teams and for engaging honesty. He was forced to give up smoking cigars after undergoing heart surgery in 2013.

The Nationals did not detail McKeon's role with the team, but Rizzo has a history of bringing on experienced advisers, including Davey Johnson, who ended up working as Washington's manager for 2½ seasons.

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