Guardians Lose Hitting Coach Valaika to Reds
CLEVELAND — As the offseason begins, the Guardians anticipated the possibility of losing some of their coaches due to their recent success, with Chris Valaika becoming the first to depart.
The Guardians announced Thursday afternoon that Valaika, their hitting coach for the last three seasons, has been hired by the Reds as their director of hitting and Major League hitting coach. Cleveland now faces the task of finding his replacement.
Valaika will reunite with Terry Francona in Cincinnati. While there’s speculation regarding Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis, who has a close bond with Francona, the Reds already have both a pitching coach and a director of pitching, making Willis’s move there unlikely. This offseason will determine if Willis chooses to retire, which would create another vacancy on the staff. For now, Cleveland can focus on filling the hitting coach role. They have internal options in Dan Puente, who served as assistant hitting coach this season, and Junior Betances, the Triple-A Columbus hitting coach who has a strong connection with José Ramírez, having pitched to him in the 2022 and 2024 Home Run Derbies.
Valaika
Additionally, this could give Guardians manager Stephen Vogt a chance to build his own staff. When he joined last offseason, most of the coaching team was already in place, but now he might bring in individuals from his network for 2025.
At the moment, Valaika’s role is the only one to replace this winter, though rumors suggest bench coach Craig Albernaz may be a candidate for a managerial position elsewhere. The Guardians will be prepared if further changes arise.
Leave a Reply