The Padres have hired former All-Star closer Takashi Saito as a front-office intern, providing a unique opportunity for a prominent Japanese figure while expanding the club’s reach across the Pacific Ocean.

Saito, 45, will spend one year interning in the Padres’ baseball operations department, learning about everything from scouting to player development to analytics.

“It’s a win-win,” said Logan White, the Padres’ director of player personnel and senior advisor to General Manager A.J. Preller. “Hopefully, he will take what he learns wherever he wants to go and broaden his horizons.

“Even though we know about and love Japan, I think Takashi brings something to San Diego that is above and beyond, helping us understand the culture and building the network. We want to constantly improve the Padre brand in Asia, particularly in Japan.”


White and Acey Kohrogi, the Padres’ advisor for Pacific Rim operations, played significant roles in Saito’s original move to the U.S. Before the 2006 season, White and Kohrogi were both working in the Dodgers’ front office when Kohrogi showed White video of a veteran right-hander pitching in Japan.

The Dodgers soon signed Saito to a $500,000 minor league contract. The 36-year-old inherited the closer role that May and, in his first season stateside, finished eighth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

An All-Star in 2007, Saito followed a three-year run in Los Angeles with stints in Boston, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Arizona. Over seven major league seasons, he recorded a 2.34 ERA and 84 saves. In 2013, Saito returned to pitching in Japan, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Earlier this year, Saito drove about seven hours to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to meet with White, who was on a scouting trip. Saito thanked the executive for what he had done for his career. Then he informed White he would retire at the end of the season.


White asked Saito what he wanted to do next. Months later, the answer is clear.

“He just wants to learn more,” said White, who pointed out that Saito might be the first Japanese-born player to intern in a major league front office. “He wants to learn about the American game from a front-office perspective and see how that helps him in the future.

“He’s a great person with great intelligence. With his personality, I think he has a lot of ingredients to be great at whatever he wants to do.”

The Padres are scouting players at the Premier 12, the international baseball tournament organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. South Korea and Japan will meet in the semifinals in Tokyo at 2 a.m. (Pacific Time) Thursday. The U.S. will play Mexico on Friday morning.


Black expected to join Angels

Former Padres manager Bud Black is expected to join the Los Angeles Angels’ front office, likely as a special assistant, according to multiple reports.

Such a hiring would mark a reunion with longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia and Ron Roenicke, who Wednesday was announced as the Angels’ third base coach, reprising the role he held from 2000-05.

Black was the Angels’ pitching coach from 2000-06 before becoming Padres manager. After being fired in June, he was expected to be named Washington’s next manager last month before contract negotiations with the Nationals fell apart. That position subsequently went to Dusty Baker.

Black also was a finalist for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ managerial opening, but the list has been whittled down to Dodgers farm director Gabe Kapler and former Padres bench coach Dave Roberts.


Brock to be first base coach

According to sources, the Padres will promote minor league coordinator Tarrik Brock to first base coach, the same role he filled for the Houston Astros in 2014.

Brock replaces Jose Valentin, who was the Padres’ first-base coach each of the last two seasons. Brock, 41, was well-regarded for his work in Houston, but he was not retained after the firing of manager Bo Porter.

Brock joined the Padres last offseason as their outfield and baserunning coordinator.