Ex-Mets coach hired by NL East rival Nationals

Another former New York Mets coach has joined an NL East team.

May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets logo on the sleeve of J.D. Martinez during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

When the New York Mets cleaned house with their coaching staff after their disappointing 2025 season concluded, they probably weren't expecting to see many of these former coaches anytime soon.

On November 5, news broke that former Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and former Mets first base coach, outfield coordinator, and baserunning instructor Antoan Richardson would bothbe joining the Atlanta Braves' staff for the 2026 season.

Read more: Insider gives encouraging update on Mets' Kyle Tucker interest

These weren't the only two former Mets coaches to leave the team. The club's co-hitting coaches, Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes, were also each dismissed. While Eric Chavez has since spoken out about his time with the team and made some Instagram posts that suggest he's a little bit bitter with the Mets, there hadn't been much at all from Barnes.

But now there is news about Barnes, and it's not something Mets fans want to hear: He has joined the Washington Nationals' coaching staff for the 2026 season as their director of baserunning, game play, and defense, as first reported by an X post from Mike Mayer of Metsmerized.

Feb 23, 2023; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; poses New York Mets Jeremy Barnes for a picture during the New York Mets media photo day at Clover Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

More on Jeremy Barnes Joining the Nationals

Barnes spent the past four seasons with the Mets. He began as an assistant hitting coach during the 2022 season, then was promoted to hitting coach in 2023. As previously mentioned, Barnes worked as a co-hitting coach with Chavez during the past two seasons.

Chavez didn't seem to think having two hitting coaches was the right strategy. He conveyed as much when speaking with Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic for an October 3 article, saying, “You cannot have two co-hitting coaches, two voices,” Chavez said. “Ultimately, one person needs to have the voice. … Jeremy and I made it work. We had a good working relationship, but it definitely was not ideal.”

It's unknown whether Barnes feels the same way as Chavez, but this sentiment does make some sense.

Former Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes has been hired by the Nationals.

He will be their director of baserunning, game play and defense. pic.twitter.com/R4dSgW5VwK

— Mets Batflip (@metsbatflip1) January 2, 2026

What's for sure is that it feels weird so many former Mets coaches have remained in the NL East, especially because it's not like Atlanta or Washington, D.C. are close enough to Queens where these coaches wouldn't have to relocate.

Perhaps these NL East teams just saw these coaches so often, they got a good understanding of how they did their jobs and capitalized on them being made available. Ultimately, Barnes's joining the Nationals adds another layer of intrigue to whenever the Mets play them in 2026.

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