The New York Mets won’t be hiring either candidate that was recently linked to the team’s hitting coach vacancy. Their former 2015 World Series hitting coach Kevin Long, and Chicago Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee, will not join the Mets’ coaching staff.
According to Mike Puma of The New York Post, the Mets met with Long last week to discuss a role in their hitting department, but there wasn’t a match. As for Mallee, the Cubs’ assistant hitting coach has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Mets job and will remain in Chicago, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
Mets continue to face roadblocks
As previously reported on Saturday, a league source told FanSided that the Mets may have trouble bringing in outside candidates.
“The problem the Mets face is that candidates are more interviewing them than the other way around,” a league source told FanSided over the weekend. “The industry feels like going to the Mets can set your career back.”
The same source felt that Long had the inside track for the job given his impressive résumé and prior relationship with Juan Soto. The source also endorsed Mallee as a strong backup plan if Long were to decline a role with the team. However, neither candidate will be coming to the Mets, who will now have to look elsewhere to hire another hitting coach.
The Mets aren’t the most attractive destination for outside candidates at the moment after missing out on the postseason in back-to-back years. Despite having the second-highest payroll in baseball this past season, the Mets were a disaster, finishing with a 74-88 record and in last place in the NL East.
If the Mets miss out on the playoffs for a third straight year in 2027, it could force team owner Steve Cohen to make significant changes, starting with president of baseball operations David Stearns. The Mets went all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS in Stearns’ first year, but things haven’t gone as smoothly in the last two seasons.
Manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t make it out of his third season as skipper of the club, getting fired this past June. The team removed the interim tag from manager Andy Green and gave him a three-year extension. They also brought in former Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey to serve as a senior adviser in the front office.
The Mets let go of director of hitting Jeff Albert after one season, but held onto hitting coach Troy Snitker and assistant hitting coach Rafael Fernandez. On Monday, New York promoted Mariano Duncan to their major league coaching staff in an unspecified role. They will now continue their search for another hitting coach this offseason.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow