CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians’ first significant loss of the offseason didn’t come on the field but in the dugout, as Major League Field Coordinator Kai Correa has departed to become the New York Mets’ bench coach under manager Carlos Mendoza. While the move advances Correa’s career, it creates a substantial void for an AL Central championship team that thrived on defensive excellence with Correa helping lead the way.

“He did a great job with the defense,” cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes said on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast . “But he had the longest title of any coach I’ve ever had seen. His title was field coordinator/director of defense, baserunning and game strategy. That’s a mouthful.”

That extensive title reflected Correa’s wide-ranging influence on a Guardians team that tran

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