CLEVELAND — The Guardians entered the offseason with the hope their entire coaching staff would remain in place through the winter, but they also knew those chances weren’t especially high.
They averaged 90 wins and won back-to-back division titles over the last two seasons despite a bottom-third payroll over that span, which often opens the door to other teams poaching coaches. In that way, even success can breed turnover.
It began with Kai Correa, who left to be the New York Mets’ next bench coach.
That next domino has fallen, as associate head coach Craig Albernaz is finalizing a deal to become the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, according to reports from ESPN and the New York Post.
Orioles hire Craig Albernaz as manager after serving 2 years with Guardians
Albernaz, 42, was hired to be the team’s major league fielding coordinator in November 2023. After the Guardians hired Stephen Vogt as the club’s manager before the 2024 season, Albernaz was named bench coach. And after Vogt’s first season in Cleveland — in which the Guardians came three wins shy of the World Series — Albernaz was promoted in title to associate manager.
Ever since Vogt was hired, Albernaz has been among the most-mentioned names around the league as a potential managerial hire. It was largely more of a question of when, not if, Albernaz took over a club as manager.
The Guardians are also hoping to have Carl Willis, 64, back as pitching coach if he chooses to return for the 2026 season.