Mets Reportedly Hire Kai Correa as Bench Coach After Giants, Guardians Stints

The New York Mets reportedly have a new bench coach.

Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday that New York hired Kai Correa to fill the position. Correa was the bench coach for the San Francisco Giants from 2020-23 and part of the Cleveland Guardians' coaching staff the last two seasons.

His roles in Cleveland included director of defense, baserunning and game strategy.

New York's coaching staff is going to look much different in 2025.

After it missed the playoffs, the team announced pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, bench coach John Gibbons, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, and catching instructor Glenn Sherlock—who retired—would not return.

Notably, it decided to keep manager Carlos Mendoza for what will be a third season. The Mets reached the National League Championship in Mendoza's first season in 2024 but collapsed down the stretch in 2025 and missed the postseason entirely.

Hiring Correa wasn't the only move the Mets made Tuesday to bolster Mendoza's staff, as Passan reported they also revealed Jeff Albert will be the team's lead hitting coach. The director of hitting development has been with New York since November 2022 and was previously with the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals.

Correa is joining a Mets team that will be looking to bounce back from a shocking tumble down the standings.

They seemed to be on the short list of realistic World Series contenders during a 45-24 start to the 2025 campaign, especially after an offseason that saw them add Juan Soto to the lineup. However, they struggled down the stretch on the way to an 83-79 record as the Philadelphia Phillies passed them up in the National League East.

The Cincinnati Reds also seized the final NL wild-card spot over them.

New York's lineup could also look different in 2026, as slugger Pete Alonso opted out of his deal to test free agency.