Inside The Mets

Could Red Sox legend become next Mets coach?

MLB legend Manny Ramirez wants to be a hitting coach, and the New York Mets have a vacancy.
Jul 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs hitting coach Manny Ramirez prior to the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jul 8, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs hitting coach Manny Ramirez prior to the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On October 3, news broke that the New York Mets were dismissing pitching coach Jeremy Hefner along with co-hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez. In addition, catching coach Glenn Sherlock has told the team that he intends to retire, third base and infield coach Mike Sarbaugh has been dismissed, and bench coach John Gibbons informed the organization that he won't be coming back.

This leaves a whole lot of coaching vacancies under manager Carlos Mendoza. And given that the Mets would likely want to get these positions filled before their focus moved on to improving the roster via free agency and trades this winter, it's safe to assume that David Stearns and the rest of the front office have been actively seeking new coaches.

Read more: Eric Chavez sends message after Mets dismissal

No potential candidates or frontrunners for any of these vacant positions have been made public. However, MLB legend Manny Ramirez would surely be interested in such a role.

Former player Manny Ramirez was threw a ceremonial first pitch on June 30, 2022
Jun 20, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Former player Manny Ramirez was threw a ceremonial first pitch as part of the Red Sox Hall of Fame induction before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

When speaking with Foul Territory on September 30, Ramirez (who is a two-time World Series champion, a 12-time MLB All-Star, the MLB record holder for most postseason home runs (29), and one of 28 players to hit 500 career home runs) expressed his interest in being a coach again.

"I could teach [hitting]! I just need the opportunity," Ramirez said when asked whether he could teach his hitting philosophies to an MLB team, per an X post from Foul Territory. "To be honest, I spoke to Boston last year. We were talking a little bit... we were talking, but then we never got back about getting serious about it."

Therefore, it's clear that one of the most talented hitters of this century would be open to being a hitting coach.

Could Manny Ramirez Really Make Sense for the Mets?

Mets fan and X user @Masterflip_ went viral on October 3 for reposting this clip of Ramirez speaking and writing, "I heard the Mets need a new hitting coach. How about the greatest right handed hitter to ever live?! Let’s bring some swag and vibes to the dugout! @StevenACohen2 #lgm".

This has sparked a lot of chatter among the Mets' X community about whether Ramirez could actually join Mendoza's staff. In addition to his own hitting credentials, Ramirez worked as a hitting consultant for the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and 2016, which was when the franchise won its first World Series title in 108 years.

Could Ramirez help bring the Mets its first World Series since 1986? There's only one way to find out.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.