Joey Cora reportedly has landed back on his feet after the Pittsburgh Pirates fired him earlier this offseason.
Cora, the older brother of Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, “finalizing an agreement” with the New York Mets to serve as their third base coach, according to Mike Puma of The New York Post. Puma’s report came after Raul Ramos of the Spanish-language site “Con Las Bases Llenas” said the sides were “in talks” regarding the deal.
He is the first major hire for new manager Buck Showalter, though the new-look club was incredibly active in free agency with Starling Marte and Max Scherzer among the new additions.
The elder Cora worked as the Pirates’ third base coach since 2017, a promotion he received after managing the club’s Double-A team in 2016. A former player, who spent 11 seasons in MLB, also previously was on the coaching staff of the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins.
He was a candidate to serve as the Mets’ bench coach heading into the 2020 season, according to a report.
Cora will take over for Gary DiSarcina, who worked with the Mets for three seasons and now is a member of the Washington Nationals staff.
