Mets ex-pitching coach Jeremy Hefner hired by hated NL East rival

New York Mets fans will not like where former pitching coach Jeremy Hefner landed.

Apr 16, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; New York Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner walks to the dugout during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Just a year ago, former New York Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner was considered one of the brightest minds in the entire sport, and a key cog in the Mets' relatively unexpected run to the 2024 NLCS.

In fact, Hefner's sterling reputation within the Mets' organization and the baseball community as a whole likely factored into New York's front office not signing any elite starting pitchers in free agency last offseason.

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Instead, they elected to employ the strategy of acquiring middle-tier arms and hoping that Hefner and his staff could develop these arms into quality contributors, like what Hefner did with Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Jose Quintana in 2024. So instead of pursuing names like Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, and Blake Snell, the Mets acquired Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, and re-signed Manaea.

This strategy did not work out. The Mets' veteran starting pitchers did not perform up to par (aside from Holmes, who was decent), and the team had to rely on their homegrown rookie starters like Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong just to have a chance of making the postseason, which didn't work out.

Jul 20, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) talks to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner (55) during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

And as the end of the 2025 season, news broke that the Mets would be parting ways with Hefner after six seasons in the role.

Atlanta Braves Hire Jeremy Hefner, Antoan Richardson

However, Hefner was not out of a job for long. On November 5, it was announced that both he and fellow former Mets first base coach, outfield coordinator, and baserunning instructor Antoan Richardson would be joining the Atlanta Braves' staff. Hefner will be their pitching coach, while Richardson will be their first base coach.

Atlanta Braves Announce Additions to 2026 Major League Coaching Staff: pic.twitter.com/Vp6RKa2Aqg

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 5, 2025

This is going to be a tough pill for Mets fans to swallow. Not only are these two coaches now with another MLB franchise, but they joined arguably the Mets' biggest rival and will remain in the NL East.

Hefner and Richardson both have intimate understandings of the Mets' current roster, which means they would presumably have a better idea of how to beat New York's players than just about anybody else.

SNY Mets insider Andy Martino shed more light on this news with a November 5 X post that read, "There was apparently no world in which Mets were going to be able to retain Richardson. They tried hard.

"As for Hefner, great for him to be closer to his home and family."

There was apparently no world in which Mets were going to be able to retain Richardson. They tried hard.

As for Hefner, great for him to be closer to his home and family . https://t.co/MaAG7vmEXJ

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) November 5, 2025

This will be an interesting storyline to follow once the Mets and Braves begin battling for NL East supremacy in 2026.