The Atlanta Braves have added two former New York Mets staffers to their coaching staff for the 2026 season.
Atlanta announced on Wednesday that former Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and first base coach Antoan Richardson have been hired for the same roles on new manager Walt Weiss’ staff.
Following a late-season swoon that kept them out of the playoffs, the Mets kept Carlos Mendoza as their manager but announced several changes to his coaching staff.
Six different coaches were either fired, parted ways with the club or retired. Hefner was among the group to be fired after the Mets pitching staff finished 18th in ERA and had the fourth-fewest innings from their starting rotation.
Hefner spent six seasons as New York’s pitching coach from 2020 to ’25. The staff ranked in the top 10 in ERA in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022.
Richardson, who was not among the coaches the Mets moved on from at the end of the season, was with the club for the past two seasons as their first base coach, outfield coordinator and baserunning instructor.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Oct. 27 that Richardson and the Mets couldn’t agree to terms on a new contract. SNY’s Andy Martino added the team “did everything it could” to keep the 42-year-old.
After finishing a disappointing 76-86 this season, the Braves announced on Oct. 1 that Brian Snitker was stepping down as manager and transitioning to an advisory role in the front office.
Snitker had been in the managerial chair for 10 seasons, leading the Braves to a World Series title in 2021.
Weiss, who was officially introduced as manager on Monday, worked on Snitker’s staff as the bench coach in Atlanta since 2018. He was given an opportunity to interview with the Miami Marlins for their managerial opening after the 2022 season, but reportedly turned down the invitation to remain with the Braves.
Adding two respected coaches with extensive experience in their roles should help ease the process for Weiss as he gets acclimated in his new job.
The Braves are in a great spot going into 2026 with a loaded core group that should have them back in playoff contention as long as they have better injury luck than they did this season.
