Former World Series MVP Dave Stewart is returning to the A’s in a front office role.

The A’s announced Wednesday that Stewart will be a special assistant to player development this season. Stewart will assist director of player development Ed Sprague in his new role.

Stewart spent eight seasons in his 16-year career with the A’s when the team was in Oakland. He won the World Series MVP for the A’s in 1989, was AL Championship Series MVP in 1990 and was inducted into the A’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

The Oakland-born Stewart had four straight 20-win seasons for the A’s from 1987-90 and his No. 34 jersey was retired by the club.

Stewart worked in the A’s front office as an assistant to GM Sandy Alderson in 1996. He spent two seasons as general manager for Arizona in 2015-16, has worked as an agent and has had time as a pitching and executive for several other teams.

Dodgers introduce phenom Sasaki >> The Los Angeles Dodgers introduced prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki Wednesday after he agreed to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus.

The 23-year-old pitcher donned a No. 11 jersey with R. Sasaki on the back at a news conference outside Dodger Stadium.

A right-hander whose fastball tops 100 mph, Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Dodgers on Friday, ending a hotly contested pursuit among multiple major league clubs. He joined fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers in a signing many baseball executives long expected.

“I am deeply honored that many teams reached out to me with such enthusiasm especially since I haven’t achieved much in Japan,” Sasaki said through a translator.

In introducing Sasaki, Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, called him “one of the most electrifying and promising talents in the game.” He said the Dodgers had been following Sasaki for the last six years, with their scouts first seeing him in high school in Japan.

The Dodgers are planning to use a six-man rotation, which could ease Sasaki’s transition to Major League Baseball, as the Dodgers attempt to become the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2000.

Sasaki was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 games last year, striking out 129 hitters in 111 innings during a season limited by shoulder inflammation. He went 7-4 with a 1.78 ERA in 15 starts in 2023, when he had an oblique injury. He has a 29-15 career record with a 2.10 ERA over four seasons with the Marines and pitched a perfect game against Orix in April 2022.

Sewald, Guardians agree to deal >> Reliever Paul Sewald and the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a $7 million, one-year contract, adding a setup arm for closer Emmanuel Clase.

An eight-year veteran, Sewald is a 34-year-old right-hander who has 84 saves during an eight-year big league career.

He gets a $1 million signing bonus and a $5 million salary this year, when he could earn $500,000 in performance. The deal includes a $10 million mutual option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout.

Sewald had a 4.31 ERA last year with 16 saves for Arizona, losing his closer’s job at the start of August. He didn’t make his season debut until May 7 due to a strained left oblique and didn’t pitch after Sept. 8 due to discomfort on the left side of his neck. His fastball average velocity dropped to 91.4 mph from 92.2 mph.

Sewald is 20-25 with a 4.09 ERA for the Mets (2017-20), Seattle (2021-23) and Arizona (2023-24).