Reliever Putz joins D-backs' front office

Nov 7, 2014 - 12:58 AM Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Veteran major-league reliever J.J. Putz has been hired as a front-office assistant by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks announced Thursday that Putz was named as a special assistant to president and CEO Derrick Hall.

The team did not immediately respond to an email to confirm that Putz, 37, had retired.

He didn't pitch in the majors after being designated for assignment on June 20 after posting a 6.59 ERA in 18 games for the Diamondbacks this season.

Putz appeared in 572 games for the Mariners, Mets, White Sox and Diamondbacks, all out of the bullpen. He ranks 51st on the all-time MLB list with 189 saves, including a career-high 45 for Arizona in 2011.

He finished with a 3.08 ERA and made one All-Star team, in 2007 for Seattle, when he saved 40 games and finished 13th in voting for AL MVP.

In a statement, Putz said he was excited to give back to the game he loves and to be a part of the Diamondbacks organization, where he pitched for three-plus seasons.

Hall said Putz's "performance on the field and popularity off the field make him a tremendous addition to the front office."

"His personality is a perfect fit for our culture and we are looking forward to him helping the D-backs in a number of different ways during this next phase of his career," Hall said in a statement.