As was expected after Steve Cohen capped his first ownership year with a flawed team that added to its playoff drought, the Mets are cleaning house.
The team took its first step toward overhauling its coaching staff on Thursday.
Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum are in discussions about future roles within the organization, according to a team source. Assistant hitting coach Kevin Howard will resume his original duties as director of player development.
All other coaches have been granted permission to speak to other places of employment.
Bench coach Dave Jauss, bullpen coach Ricky Bones, third-base coach Gary DiSarcina, assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo, first base/outfield coach Tony Tarasco and quality control coach Brian Schneider are among the coaches free to look for jobs elsewhere, per a team source.
The coaching staff shakeup came three days after the Mets did not pick up the team option on Luis Rojas, removing him from manager duties while giving him the option to remain in the organization in another role.
Hefner is expected to remain in his role as pitching coach, per a source, but the Mets would like to give the next appointed manager a chance to name his/her own coaching staff and bring in his/her own people. The same is true with the other coaching positions; while they’re free to seek other opportunities, the next Mets manager or head of baseball ops may decide to keep them on.
Quattlebaum and Howard were promoted to the major-league staff in May, following the early-season firings of previous hitting coaches Chili Davis and Tom Slater. The Mets offense struggled all year, with little improvement after Quattlebaum took over lead hitting coach duties. The club was consistently in MLB’s bottom five in runs scored per game and batting average with runners in scoring position.
The Mets’ coaching staff positions will remain vacant until Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson make a series of hires. The front office is looking to fill the positions of president of baseball operations and manager, with the general manager position yet to be decided.
Acting GM Zack Scott is scheduled for a court appearance on Thursday afternoon, after which Alderson indicated he will speak to Scott about his future. Scott pleaded not guilty to his DUI arrest last month in White Plains. The Mets placed Scott on administrative leave for the final month of the season.
If the team’s status regarding its coaching staff and front office sounds disorganized and confusing, that’s because, to some degree, it is. The Mets do not want to fill any positions before they make critical front office and manager hires, both of which are expected to take some time. But allowing the manager to pick his/her own coaching staff is the right way to go.
Brewers president of baseball ops David Stearns, for example, is a solid, experienced candidate for the Mets front office. But he’s involved in Milwaukee’s 2021 playoff entry, beginning with the NLDS against the Braves on Friday. Depending on how deep the Brewers go into the postseason, the Mets could be waiting a while to speak to Stearns, and that’s only if the Brewers grant Stearns permission to interview.
If the Mets aim to hire A’s executive VP of baseball operations Billy Beane, they can begin that interview process sooner because Oakland is not in the playoffs. The Mets will also need permission from the A’s to speak to Beane, but Alderson’s strong relationship with the longtime executive should help get them that approval to interview.
The Mets prefer to hire experienced individuals for their vacant front office and manager positions.
