TORONTO — The Mets' seek for a brand new pitching coach has reached the end line.
Justin Willard, the Pink Sox director of pitching, is ready to imagine the pitching coach duties with the Mets, an business source confirmed to The Post's Joel Sherman on Saturday.
The 35-year-old Willard will substitute Jeremy Hefner, whose 2026 membership possibility was declined as a part of a training workers shakeup following the Mets' second-half collapse.
Willard can be charged with resurrecting Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and David Peterson, specifically.
All three starters nosedived within the second half — a big issue within the staff cratering, culminating with a loss on the ultimate day of the season in Miami that stored the Mets from clinching a Nationwide League wild-card berth.
With the Pink Sox, Willard labored below pitching coach Andrew Bailey and was credited for bolstering the group's infrastructure with the usage of new expertise.
Willard beforehand served in minor league roles within the Twins group.
The Athletic first reported that Willard was the frontrunner for the Mets' opening.
The Mets are additionally set to call a feminine coach inside the group. In accordance with a supply, the membership is ready to rent Rachel Folden because the hitting coach at Double-A Binghamton. Folden this season was a hitting coach within the Cubs' minor league system.
Folden, 38, turned a marketing consultant for Elite Baseball Coaching after concluding a fastpitch softball profession.
Folden's first foray into skilled baseball was with the Cubs in 2019, working the group's Arizona hitting lab.
On the main league degree, the Mets just lately named Jeff Albert because the director of hitting and employed Troy Snitker as a hitting coach.
Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes served because the hitting coaches for the final two seasons, however each had been fired final month with one 12 months remaining on their contracts.
The Mets additionally employed Kai Correa as bench coach after John Gibbons stepped apart from his duties. The staff has not named a 3rd base coach to interchange Mike Sarbaugh, whose contract was not renewed.
The Mets are additionally anticipated to half methods with first base coach Antoan Richardson, who's a free agent after the 2 sides couldn't attain an settlement on a brand new contract.
Richardson was credited with the staff's base-stealing success this season — notably Juan Soto's career-high 38 stolen bases.
