After a tough season that ended with the Mets missing the playoffs on the very last day, the team decided to make major changes to its coaching staff. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes won’t be returning next season. The Mets are also parting ways with bench coach John Gibbons and third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh. For Hefner, in particular, the Mets may have found their replacement.

“Emerging as the favorite” for the role is Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard.

After Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that, Joel Sherman of the New York Post backed the report. As he sees it, Willard is “poised to be named the Mets pitching coach.”

After spending several years with the Minnesota Twins as a pitching coach and coordinator, Willard joined the Red Sox in November 2024. He began his coaching career in college baseball, first as a graduate assistant at Concord University, and then spent seven years at Radford University as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

Willard will have a solid group to work with in 2026. Top prospect Nolan McLean made his debut in August and impressed in over eight starts. He leads a promising young core, including Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Christian Scott.

On the other hand, veterans David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea helped anchor the rotation this season. However, they struggled down the stretch as New York lost its playoff spot. Still, they’re expected to provide steady innings next season until the younger arms take over for good.

If hired, one of Willard’s biggest challenges will be to get Kodai Senga back on track. After a stellar 2023 debut, injuries derailed most of his 2024 season. He started strong in 2025 but struggled after a hamstring issue.

He posted a 5.90 ERA over his final nine starts, and the Mets even sent him to Triple-A late in the year. Senga is expected to return in 2026, but he’ll need to bounce back to keep his spot in the rotation. So, whether Senga bounces back or not, the Mets are still expected to bring in another strong arm.

Mets to target Detroit Tigers’ ace to strengthen their core

If the New York Mets are willing to make a serious push for the World Series in 2026, they’ll need to strengthen their rotation this offseason. For the same reason, the Detroit Tigers could be the key to that.

While they haven’t confirmed any plans to trade Tarik Skubal, reports suggest they’re also not fully committed to locking in the soon-to-be two-time Cy Young winner’s future.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported a major gap in Detroit’s contract talks with Tarik Skubal.  Apparently, the Tigers reportedly opened with a shockingly low offer of $80 million over four years. Even if they’ve raised it since, starting negotiations that low might make it nearly impossible to find common ground.

Adding in a top-tier arm to their rotation will help the Mets soar their championship odds immediately.

And for the record, pitchers don’t get much better than Tarik Skubal. The reigning AL Cy Young winner was even more dominant this season. He posted a 2.21 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 241 strikeouts and just 33 walks over 195 innings.

He’s about as close to unhittable as it gets. But why isn’t Detroit holding on to him? He’s set to hit free agency after next season, and his reported asking price starts at around $400 million. The Tigers don’t seem ready to make that kind of commitment.