Buck Showalter is closing in on the first new member of his coaching staff.
According to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the Mets are finalizing a deal with Joey Cora to become the team’s third-base coach. He will replace Gary DiSarcina who spent the last five seasons as the team’s third-base/infield coach.
Raul Ramos first mentioned earlier today that the two sides have had talks.
Cora, 55, spent the past five seasons in the same position for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the team decided to let him go at the end of this season. He began his coaching career in the Mets minor league system and spent time on coaching staffs with the White Sox and Marlins.
Cora is the older brother of Boston Red Sox manager and former Mets infielder Alex Cora. He was a big-league infielder for eleven seasons with the Padres, White Sox, Mariners, and Cleveland.
So far, Cora and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner are the only two members of Showalter’s coaching staff. The team’s search will continue for a hitting coach, bench coach, first base coach, and bullpen coach.
According to Puma, two potential candidates to fill the role of bench coach are John Russell (Showalter’s bench coach in Baltimore) and Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough. Team officials were reportedly impressed with McCullough following his managerial interview.
