Several former New York Mets coaches won’t be straying far after their recent departure from Queens. After a historic meltdown to end the 2025 season, the Mets decided to shake things up by letting go of several staff members. This includes pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, as well as third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh.

Just a few days after the L.A. Dodgers stormed back against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series to secure back-to-back championships, the Atlanta Braves announced on Wednesday that they’ve hired Hefner as their new pitching coach under manager Walt Weiss, keeping him in the National League East. Joining him in Atlanta will be another former Met, first base coach Antoan Richardson, who chose to leave despite the Mets reportedly wanting to keep him.

Under Hefner’s tutelage over the past six seasons, Mets pitchers have achieved the sixth-best ERA, allowed the fourth-fewest hits, and racked up the fifth-most strikeouts in the National League, according to an official press release. For a significant part of last season’s first half, the Mets’ starting pitchers had the best ERA in MLB before injuries and inconsistent performance took a toll on their rotation.

Richardson, on the other hand, turned the Mets into a base-stealing powerhouse, with the team ending the season with the highest stolen base percentage (89.1 percent) in the majors. His most notable impact was on star outfielder Juan Soto, who stole a career-high 38 bases despite only surpassing 10 stolen bases in a season twice before.

After the regular season concluded, both the Mets and Richardson expressed mutual interest in continuing their partnership; however, disagreements over his market value ultimately drove him to sign with the Braves.

“I was very interested in returning to the Mets, but during the negotiation process, we weren’t fully aligned on how we viewed my value,” Richardson told the Daily News. “I have great respect for their process and the conversations we had.

“Once I was allowed to speak with other teams, I remained open to a return to Queens until the end, while also focusing on finding an opportunity that was more in line with what I was looking for.”

The core issue centered around compensation, with both parties unable to agree on a figure. Richardson reached out to the Mets one final time before signing his new deal, but New York couldn’t match the offer due to limitations on the number of coaches eligible for pension benefits.

“After connecting with several teams about different roles, ranging from bench coach to first base coach, Atlanta proved to be the right fit,” Richardson said. “I’m genuinely excited about this next chapter in Atlanta and look forward to contributing in a positive way.”

Despite failing to reach terms, Richardson emphasized that no animosity exists between himself and the Mets. “I have nothing but love for my time in New York,” he said.

“A lot of relationships were built in New York that will stand the test of time and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.”