In a move that should be a surprise to no one, the Padres reached a deal with Mark Kotsay to move upstairs as an assistant to Josh Byrnes. Not just any assistant, though; a special assistant. I'm not sure yet exactly what that's going to entail, but I assure you he won't be fetching coffee for anybody. In addition to whatever else he ends up doing, as a recently retired player he'll be a valuable asset for certain insights on players around the league that others might miss.
I imagine Josh Byrnes sticking his head in Kotsay's office (that sounds dirty!) some time next summer to ask him about some pitcher. Kotsay will build the guy up: "Oh yeah, go out and get him! He was incredible when I faced him last year." Byrnes will get halfway down the hallway, full of optimism, until he realizes that everyone was incredible when they faced Kotsay last year.
