The Mets may be targeting a replacement for Jeremy Hefner. Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard is “emerged as favourite” for the position, reports The Athletic’s Will Sammon. Joel Sherman of the New York Post seconded Sammon’s report, in which he writes that Willard “ready to be named Mets pitching coach.”
Willard has been with Boston since November 2024. He previously worked in Minnesota as a pitching coach and coordinator. Willard got his coaching start in the college ranks, first as an assistant at Concord University. He then spent seven years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Radford University.
Boston brought in Willard to improve the organization’s pitching development. In a story written by Ian Browne of MLB.com Ahead of his first season with the team, Willard said he has a “very simple” approach when it comes to his pitching philosophy. “Throw nasty things in the zone. You can have nasty things, but it won’t be maximized if you’re not in the zone.” That plan could work well in New York. The Mets’ pitching staff ranked fourth in Stuff+ in 2025, but had the sixth-highest walk rate. The club finished 18th in ERA.
New York has made a slew of coaching changes this season, including the move of Hefner. He had spent the last six seasons with the team. After ranking 22nd in ERA in his first season, the Mets improved to ninth and then seventh under Hefner. They have been 15th or worse for the past three years.
If he gets the job, Willard will have plenty to work with in 2026. Top perspective Nolan McLean debuted in August and excelled over eight starts. He leads a young core that also exists Jonah Tong, Brandon SproatAnd Christian Scott. New York’s rotation was supported by veterans David Peterson, Clay HolmesAnd Rome Petson. The trio struggled in the final few months of the season as New York coughed up a playoff spot, but they should be a reliable source of innings next year until the youngsters can take over.
The most important task for Willard, if he were to be hired, could be to get a job Kodai Senga back on track. The NPB import dominated in his first MLB season in 2023, posting a sub-3.00 ERA and a 29.1% strikeout rate. Shoulder and calf injuries cost Senga almost all of 2024, but he appeared to have returned to ace status by early 2025. Senga allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his first 13 starts to open the season. A hamstring injury cost him a month of action and upon return he was unable to regain his form. Senga posted a 5.90 ERA in his final nine starts of the season. His walk rate increased to 12.7%. Miami tapped Senga for five earned runs on the last day of August, and New York demoted the struggling starter to Triple-A. Senga is likely to return to the big league club in 2026, but he will need to perform better to retain his place.
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