Padres Sign Ausmus

The Padres added an All-Star catcher to the roster on Tuesday. Well, at least to the front office roster. Brad Ausmus, an 18-year veteran who retired at the end of the 2010 season, is joining the team as Special Assistant to Baseball Operations.“We are extremely excited to add Brad to our staff,” said general manager Jed Hoyer. “He brings a tremendous amount of experience from his long and successful playing career. We look forward to having him help with the development of catchers throughout our system.”Ausmus won three Gold Glove Awards and was an All-Star with the Tigers in 1999. He played most of his first four big league seasons in San Diego (1993-1996). He joins another former Padre fan favorite, Mark Loretta, in the front office.