Cleveland Guardians Assistant Coach Kai Correa to Join New York Mets
The Cleveland Guardians’ recent success has led to several coaches seeking new opportunities, and the latest departure is Kai Correa, who will take on a coaching role with the New York Mets this offseason.
As the Guardians prepare for the offseason, players are still weeks away from exploring free-agent options, but several coaches are already securing positions with other teams. ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed a report from Pat Ragazzo of SI that Correa will be joining the Mets as their new bench coach. He will serve as Carlos Mendoza’s right-hand man in New York. Correa has been an integral part of Cleveland’s coaching staff since 2024.
Before coming to Cleveland, Correa was the bench coach for the San Francisco Giants from 2020 to 2023. He even served as the team’s interim manager during the 2023 season after the Giants parted ways with manager Gabe Kapler.
Correa joined the Guardians when Stephen Vogt took over as manager two years ago, assuming the role of Major League Baseball field coordinator, overseeing defense, baserunning, and game strategy.
According to Cleveland.com’s Joe Noga, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti had anticipated interest in the team’s coaching staff, with Vogt noting the intention to bring back the entire staff for 2025. Vogt expressed his satisfaction with the coaching group’s performance throughout the year, emphasizing the camaraderie and dedication of the staff.
Pitching coach Carl Willis is another potential departure this offseason. Vogt recently praised Willis’s invaluable contribution to the team’s pitching staff and expressed his hope that Willis would return in 2025. “As long as I’m here and he wants to be here, Carl Willis will be our pitching coach,” Vogt said.
The Guardians have faced a recurring trend of losing coaches to promotions since Terry Francona took over in 2013, a result of the team’s consistent success. This trend continues under Vogt, who has led the Guardians to back-to-back postseason appearances in his first two seasons.
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