According to multiple reports, the Mets are circling Justin Willard as their new pitching coach. Willard, 35, who was most recently the director of pitching for the Red Sox last two seasons, also coached
and coordinated for the Twins from 2017-2023. If hired, Willard will join new arrivals Kai Correa (bench coach), Jeff Albert (director of hitting), and Troy Snitker (hitting coach) on manager Carlos Mendoza’s on-field staff.
Willard was quoted by MLB.com describing his approach early last year:
“Really simple: Throw nasty stuff in the zone. You can have nasty stuff, but it’s not gonna be maximized if you’re not in the zone. And then vice versa. If you’re in the zone and you’re getting hit, we’ve got to develop better stuff. And I think most importantly, defining that for players and defining what the scoreboard is.
“What’s the rulebook? I always use an example, if you’re going to play Monopoly for the first time, you’re going to read the rules to understand what the game is. For the longest time, we’ve been playing one game. That’s not what we’re playing now, and really helping players evaluate that and understand that drives buy-in and drives good questions and good conversations.”
Willard will replace Jeremy Hefner, a former major league pitcher and the Mets’ pitching coach for the past six seasons. Hefner, well regarded among players and fans, was let go in part because of how the Mets’ pitching staff performed in the second half of the season and how top-line starters like Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea couldn’t deliver down the stretch.
The Mets still need to add a third base coach, replacing Mike Sarbaugh. The Mets want to retain first base coach Antoan Richardson, but contract terms are keeping the two sides from an agreement, so there is likely going to be a new first base coach in 2026 as well. Strategy coach Danny Barnes and coaching assistant Rafael Fernandez were both invited back. Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel and bullpen coach José Rosado were granted permission to speak with other teams, pending the selection of a new pitching coach, so decisions about their jobs will likely come shortly after the Willard signing becomes official.
