New York Mets closing in on hiring new pitching coach

The Mets are reportedly close to hiring a new pitching coach.

Feb 19, 2024; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; Detail photo of Mets helmet during workouts at spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Are the New York Mets close to filling this vital coaching vacancy?

Justin Willard, the Boston Red Sox's director of pitching, is "emerging as the favorite" to be named the Mets' new pitching coach, per Will Sammon of The Athletic. Willard was hired by the Red Sox for that position in November 2023 and had previously spent a handful of years with the Minnesota Twins as a minor league coach and coordinator.

The Mets are closing in on their search for a new pitching coach with Justin Willard emerging as the favorite, league sources told The Athletic.

Willard, 35, is the Red Sox director of pitching. Previously, he spent several years with the Twins. https://t.co/VPSKBq8qtf

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) November 1, 2025

Joel Sherman of the New York Post also reported that Willard is "poised" to become the new pitching coach, as New York continues their major shakeup of the coaching staff after a disappointing 2025 season.

Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard is poised to be named the Mets pitching coach, a source confirmed. @WillSammon reported Willard as the favorite.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 1, 2025

Jeremy Hefner spent the last six seasons as the Mets' pitching coach from 2020 to 2025, and was considered one of the best in baseball. However, after having one of the best ERAs in all of baseball to begin the year, New York's rotation and bullpen crumbled during the final three-and-a-half months of the season, which was a significant factor in the Amazins' failing to miss the playoffs.

With Hefner's inability to fix the Mets' ailing bullpen and rotation during that three-and-a-half-month downfall, he was one of many coaches that was not retained for the 2026 season.

Read More: Could Mets reunite with high-leverage reliever?

As for Willard, during his time with the Red Sox, the 35-year-old spent a lot of time working with pitching coach Andrew Bailey. According to Sammon, both Willard and Bailey spent time together breaking down video and data (biomechanical, pitch movement, etc.) to boost pitchers’ results.

The Red Sox had a team ERA of 4.03 this season (16th in MLB), but their bullpen posted a 3.41 ERA, which was the second best in MLB; their 45 saves were tied for the sixth most, with Aroldis Chapman recording 32 of them. Boston's pitching staff this year also saw Garrett Crochet produce a Cy Young-caliber performance during his first season with the team. In 32 starts, Crochet posted an 18-5 record with a 2.59 ERA, 255 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.03 across 205.1 innings pitched.

If the Mets hire Willard as their pitching coach, he will have the opportunity to work with a plethora of talent in their rotation. Nolan McLean is poised to be the team's ace in 2026 after breaking out last year. Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong were also impressive after they were called up from the minor leagues last summer.

The Mets, however, have some questions to face with their rotation this offseason after seeing their veteran starters struggle. Both Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga endured injury-riddled seasons and failed to perform well when healthy. Lefty David Peterson also hit a wall during the second half of the year, after pitching at an ace-caliber level throughout the first half.