"The new developments today include the confirmation of Justin Willard as the new pitching coach. Prior to the official announcement, Willard confirmed to Rob Bradford of the Baseball Isn't Boring Podcast that he had been hired in that role. Also, the Mets promoted J.P. Arencibia to catching coach, Dan McKinney to assistant pitching coach and Gilbert Gomez to first base and outfield coach."
"The Mets and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner parted ways after 2025, which was their sixth season together. The club's pitchers had disappointed in 2025, with a collective 4.04 earned run average, which put them 18th out of 30th in the majors. However, the club also suffered a number of injury setbacks and it's always tough to parse the contributions of a coach from the players on his team."
The Mets announced their full coaching staff for the 2026 season and confirmed Justin Willard as the new pitching coach. Willard confirmed his hiring to Rob Bradford of the Baseball Isn't Boring Podcast prior to the official announcement. The Mets promoted J.P. Arencibia to catching coach, Dan McKinney to assistant pitching coach, and Gilbert Gomez to first base and outfield coach. The club and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner parted ways after 2025 following six seasons together. The Mets' pitchers posted a 4.04 ERA in 2025, ranking 18th amid multiple injury setbacks. Willard previously worked in the Twins' minor leagues from 2018–2023 and was hired by the Red Sox going into 2024 as director of pitching; Boston finished fifth in 2025 with a 3.72 ERA.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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