SAN ANTONIO — The apparent stability in the Mets front office and manager’s seat has spilled over to the coaching staff.
On Monday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said there won’t be any changes next season to the coaching staff that worked with first-year manager Carlos Mendoza.
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes, bench coach John Gibbons, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, first base coach Antoan Richardson, bullpen coach Jose Rosado, catching instructor Glenn Sherlock and strategy coach Danny Barnes will all return in the same roles, according to Stearns.
“These guys did a very good job and are very deserving of coming back,” Stearns said at the GM meetings.
Hefner, Chavez, Jeremy Barnes, Danny Barnes and Sherlock were holdovers from manager Buck Showalter’s 2023 coaching staff.
Hefner is the longest-tenured member of the coaching staff; he began in 2020.
Phil Maton’s option for next season, worth $7.75 million, was declined by the Mets.
“I think at this stage in the offseason, it was wanting to keep our options open a little bit, both in terms of how we’re going to structure our bullpen and who those people are and where we are going to spend our resources in the pen,” Stearns said. “He’s a good pitcher. Whether it’s with us or elsewhere, he’s going to be just fine.”
Maton, who arrived in a July trade with the Rays, appeared in 31 games for the Mets as a reliever and pitched to a 2.51 ERA.
Stearns said his expectation is Brandon Nimmo will remain in left field — the position he shifted to last season after previously playing center.
“I think Brandon did a really nice job in left field and he also did a nice job occasionally moving over to center and spelling Harrison [Bader] or Tyrone [Taylor],” Stearns said. “For the most part I think we should expect to see him in left field next year.”
Bader is a free agent, but Taylor is under club control.
“We’ll have to explore free agency and trade,” Stearns said. “We have a lot of confidence in Tyrone — he did a real nice job at all three this past year. I think he can do a job wherever we ask him to play.”
Infielder Luis De Los Santos was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays.
The Mets also claimed right-handed pitcher Kevin Herget off waivers from the Brewers.
D.J. Stewart and Joey Lucchesi were outrighted to the minor leagues and both elected free agency.
