Eric Chavez and Jeremy Hefner, Mets hitting and pitching coaches, not returning in 2026

NEW YORK — Following a difficult campaign that saw them miss the playoffs on the seasonâ€s final day, the Mets are significantly shaking up their coaching staff.

Hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner are among those who will not return, the team announced. The Mets are also parting ways with bench coach John Gibbons and third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh, while catching instructor Glenn Sherlock is retiring.

Manager Carlos Mendoza, whom the Mets will bring back for the third and final guaranteed year of his contract in 2026, will enter that campaign with a markedly different cast around him.

“Itâ€s normal after any season to do a coaching staff evaluation,†president of baseball operations David Stearns said earlier this week. “When you come off of a disappointing season like this, itâ€s certainly going to be a little more intense.â€

Barnes, 38, had been part of the Mets†hitting program since 2022, after serving one year in a player development role. He became the clubâ€s hitting coach the following season and shared that job with Chavez the past two years. Before that, Chavez, 47, had served as the Mets†bench coach for one season under Buck Showalter.

Under Barnes and Chavez, the Mets finished fifth in the Majors in wRC+ (112), eighth in batting average with runners in scoring position (.260) and tied for ninth in runs per game (4.73).

Hefner, 39, spent six seasons in the organization. Originally hired by Brodie Van Wagenen to serve as Carlos Beltránâ€s pitching coach, Hefner survived multiple front-office and managerial changes to become the Mets†longest-tenured coach.

Last year, Hefner led a surprising Mets pitching staff to a 3.96 ERA, enjoying notable success with free agents Luis Severino and Sean Manaea while also helping establish the organizationâ€s high-tech pitching lab in Port St. Lucie, Fla. But the team took a slight step back this year due in part to a slew of injuries (Manaea, Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill, Frankie Montas and A.J. Minter were among those to miss significant time), producing a 4.03 ERA as a staff. That ranked 18th in the Majors.

Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel and bullpen coach José Rosado have been given permission to speak to other teams, pending the Mets†selection of a new head pitching coach. Itâ€s unclear at this point if either will return.

Gibbons, 63, a former Mets player who later spent two stints managing the Blue Jays, had served as bench coach the past two seasons. His hire before the 2024 campaign was significant because it gave Mendoza, who at the time had no Major League managerial experience, a veteran hand in the dugout.

Sarbaugh, 57, spent two years as third-base coach following an 18-year run in the Guardians organization.

Sherlock, 65, had been the Mets†catching coach for the past four seasons, working closely with Francisco Alvarez and other Mets backstops. He previously served as a base coach for the Mets from 2017-19.

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