Two former Mets coaches are headed to an NL East rival — together with one who had beforehand hoped to remain.
The Atlanta Braves introduced the hirings of Jeremy Hefner and Antoan Richardson on Wednesday afternoon. Hefner turns into the brand new pitching coach beneath supervisor Walt Weiss, holding the identical title in Atlanta that he held with the Mets, and Richardson the primary base coach.
Hefner’s contract wasn’t renewed for 2026, so he was looking for different jobs already, however dropping Richardson hurts. The Mets requested him to return subsequent season, however have been unable to return to phrases on a brand new contract earlier than his deal expired final week. Latest studies have indicated that it was his selection to depart, however the 42-year-old Bahamian is pushing again on that narrative, saying he needed to return to the Mets.
The membership and Richardson had differing views on his “value.”
SNY’s Andy Martino has twice reported the Mets tried to maintain Richardson, however knew they might be unable to take action, making it sound as if he already had one other job lined up. Richardson mentioned he sees the state of affairs in another way. He proposed a wage with advantages, the Mets countered with one other, they usually went backwards and forwards, in the end failing to agree on a wage. He did say that each side labored very laborious to get one thing executed earlier than operating out of time.
Richardson circled again to the Mets in the long run, however the workforce couldn’t supply him the identical deal due to a restriction on the variety of coaches allowed to obtain a pension. The Mets had already employed different coaches by that time.
President of baseball operations David Stearns has not commented.
“After connecting with several teams about different roles, ranging from bench coach to first base coach, Atlanta proved to be the right fit,” Richardson mentioned. “I’m genuinely excited about this next chapter in Atlanta and look forward to contributing in a positive way.”
Richardson labored because the baserunning coordinator and the outfield coach throughout his two seasons with the Mets. A well-liked coach praised by practically each member of the Mets for his preparation and communication, he helped Juan Soto steal a career-high 38 bases final season. The Mets led the league with an 89.1% stolen base charge in 2025, one thing highlighted by the Braves in a press launch asserting his hiring.
Shedding a well-liked coach to a division rival due to a disagreement about cash doesn’t place the Mets within the strongest of lights. However for Richardson, it’s a constructive. A transfer to Atlanta additionally places him nearer to Nashville, the place he performed school baseball for Vanderbilt.
“I have nothing but love for my time in New York,” he mentioned. “A lot of relationships were built in New York that will stand the test of time and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.”
Hefner spent the final six seasons with the Mets because the pitching coach. The 39-year-old Oklahoma native was a relentless all through a tumultuous few years, surviving an possession change and several other managerial adjustments. Whereas lauded for his potential to search out undervalued back-end starters and switch them into frontline arms, the beginning pitching workers didn’t carry out as anticipated this season.
The Mets are anticipated to interchange him with Justin Willard, the director of pitching for the Boston Purple Sox. The membership has already overhauled a lot of supervisor Carlos Mendoza’s workers, including Kai Correa because the bench coach, Troy Snitker as an assistant hitting coach, and selling Jeff Albert to the position of director of main league hitting.
Snitker is the son of former Braves supervisor Brian Snitker, who retired following the conclusion of the 2025 season. The veteran skipper will transition to a senior advisory position with the group.
