LaTroy Hawkins to join Twins as a special assistant

Former Twins pitcher LaTroy Hawkins, who retired following the 2015 season, is going to return to the club as a special assistant, according to club sources. Hawkins was a special instructor during spring training earlier this year, and is expected to do the same in 2017. But the 21-year major league veteran will have other duties during the regular season. A seventh-round pick in 1991, Hawkins spent the first nine years of his career with Twins, going 44-57 with a 5.05 ERA. He was much more successful as a reliever, amassing 127 saves as a closer and also was a reliable reliever. He ended up appearing in a whopping 1,024 games with 11 different teams, and was a great chemistry guy wherever he went. Hawkins' had expressed an interest in joining the club in some capacity once his playing days ended. His chances appeared to take a hit when Terry Ryan was fired as General Manager during last season. But Hawkins has been able to connect with new Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine. Falvey and Levine, on the job less than three weeks, are in the process of expanding the baseball operations department. They also have to find a new hitting coach, first base coach and settle on minor league staff. During a conference call with season tickets holders on Thursday, they acknowledged they have been in discussions with other clubs about trades, and are looking at free agents. The offseason is heating up as the winter meetings, Dec. 5-8 in Washington, D.C., approach.