The Mets’ first trade of the offseason? Yeah, it was acquiring right-handed reliever Joey Gerber from the Rays for cash. While that move was not questioned, they are now in the middle of a coaching controversy because the President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, saw two of his best staff members leave for Atlanta, who finished in the bottom third in the league with a 4.36 ERA. Now with this significant gap glaring on the Mets staff, the fans are furious.

The backlash intensified when veteran baseball reporter Anthony DiComo noted on social media, “The Braves just hired two well-regarded ex-Mets coaches, Jeremy Hefner and Antoan Richardson.” The move comes three days after pitching coach Rick Kranitz, third base coach Fredi Gonzalez, and first base coach Tom Goodwin were informed that they won’t be returning to the Braves coaching staff this year. However, for the Mets, timing hurt even more because both coaches had a measurable effect during their time in charge.

Hefner put together a pitching staff that had the sixth-best ERA in the National League (4.02) over six seasons, led six pitchers to All-Star selections, and ranked fifth in strikeouts while giving up the fourth-fewest hits among NL teams. His skill at getting the most out of a rotation of inconsistent arms became clear when the Mets’ pitchers played like top contenders for the first half of 2025, but then their lack of talent became clear.

From a strategic point of view, Richardson’s leaving was just as bad. In 2025, the Mets had the highest stolen base success rate in Major League Baseball at 89.1%, which was seven percentage points higher than any other team. His knowledge of how to teach baserunning made the Mets the best team in the league at getting on base, which is now a competitive edge that the Mets have lost.

Richardson addressed his exit candidly, revealing the split wasn’t about loyalty. “During the negotiation process, we weren’t fully aligned on how we viewed my value,” Richardson explained. “I have great respect for their process and the conversations we had.” His calm response made it seem like salary talks had broken down even though he had made measurable contributions.

Now, this raised questions about whether Stearns had put enough emphasis on keeping coaching talent that could get championship-level results in specific areas.

Mets fans turn on David Stearns after losing coaches to the Braves

The news caused a meltdown on the New York Mets’ social media right away, with fans complaining about seeing top coaches join a team that always has a chance to win. “As a Mets fan. I’m happy they’re finally joining a good organization,” said one fan. With five solid starting pitchers in Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo López, and Hurston Waldrep, the Braves also have good depth options with Bryce Elder and Joey Wentz. Now, with the addition of both coaches, it is only a matter of time before the growth starts to show.

Another fan captured the collective despair succinctly: “We are so cooked it’s not even funny.” The comment came after Atlanta hired manager Walt Weiss and made systematic improvements. The Mets, on the other hand, lost coaches who helped them do better in measurable ways in 2025.

“Braves got two good ones,” read another reaction, acknowledging that Richardson’s 89.1% success rate on stolen bases and Hefner’s ability to get great performances out of average players were big advantages in the competition.

One user commented, “Wow, offseason is off to a horrible start,” worried that losing both coaches at the same time would hurt the Mets’ infrastructure just before a very important season. The feeling grew stronger with another person saying, “Another absolute embarrassment by David Stearns,” a harsh criticism that says the front office didn’t keep individuals whose stats—fourth-fewest hits allowed and seventh-best stolen base efficiency advantage over other teams—directly led to wins on the field.

Ever since the Mets’ season ended without a postseason berth, Stearns has been at the center of criticism. In a win-or-go-home game at LoanDepot Park, the Mets lost to the Marlins, their decades-long tormentors, 4-0. It is high time the club made certain changes, or it won’t be long before history repeats itself.