Mariners assistant GM McKay reportedly joining Guardians’ staff

Seattle Mariners assistant general manager Andy McKay is leaving the organization for a new role with the Cleveland Guardians, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday.

McKay, who has held multiple roles over 10 seasons since joining the Mariners, is heading to the dugout to be Cleveland’s field coordinator, according to Rosenthal. McKay will reunite with former Mariners bullpen coach Stephen Vogt in Cleveland. Vogt, who was with Seattle in 2023, has been the Guardians’ manager for the past two seasons.

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McKay was brought in as the Mariners’ director of player development in October 2015, marking the first major hire for then-general manager Jerry Dipoto. He was promoted to senior director of baseball development in November 2021 and assistant general manager in November 2022.

A Sacramento, Calif., native, McKay spent his first seven seasons with the Mariners overseeing the minor league system, playing an instrumental role in building a depleted farm into one of baseball’s best. In 2022, the Mariners’ system was ranked first in MLB by Baseball America heading into the season.

After being promoted to assistant general manager, he was a key part of the Mariners’ draft process, which included making in-home visits to prospective draftees. Seattle’s 2025 first-round pick, left-hander Kade Anderson, mentioned the connection he had with McKay just minutes after being taken No. 3 overall in July.

“Andy McKay actually came to my house maybe a week and a half or two ago and sat down for about an hour, and we kind of talked things out,” Anderson said. “And funny enough, he was the only guy that came to my house, which is very – I’m not sure if that’s ironic or that’s just how things go. But we had some really good conversations.”

McKay was also involved in staff development, mental skills and education programs across the organization during his tenure.

The Mariners named McKay as a major league coach, a role that would put him in the dugout, in addition to his new title as senior director of baseball development in 2021. However, McKay’s replacement as director of player development left the organization before the start of the 2022 season, leading McKay back to a full-time role outside of the dugout.

During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy soon after the report that McKay was heading to Cleveland, Mariners insider Shannon Drayer noted McKay’s passion is in coaching.

“It sounds a little bit odd to go from assistant general manager to this, but I think that this is – for his development and the passion that he has had – this is somewhere that he would like to go,” Drayer said.

More from #Mariners insider @shannondrayer on Andy McKay's impact on the organization. https://t.co/aYujpsqb1t pic.twitter.com/elc0YaEyEX

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) November 11, 2025

Prior to joining the Mariners, McKay spent three seasons as the peak performance director overseeing mental skills for the Colorado Rockies. He was the head coach of the Sacramento City College baseball program for 14 years, and he won a NCAA Division II national title as a player and assistant coach for the University of Tampa in 1993. McKay also coached in the Northwoods and Cape Cod Leagues.

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