The Mets have cleaned house with much of their coaching staff already this offseason, including letting go of manager Luis Rojas, but pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has survived the purge.
The team announced Tuesday afternoon that it has exercised its option on Hefner, and he will be back for the 2022 season. It was previously reported that Hefner could be retained but put into a new role, but he will be back as pitching coach for a third season.
Hefner was hired in December of 2019 after being a previous draft pick of the Padres, who at the time were ran by Mets team president Sandy Alderson. The 35-year-old was an assistant pitching coach with the Twins before taking his current job with New York.
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Last year, the Mets ranked ninth in ERA and 12th in strikeouts, even with ace Jacob deGrom missing considerable time due to multiple injuries. Under Hefner, Taijuan Walker turned in an All-Star season despite fading in the second half, and Marcus Stroman, after opting out of last season due to COVID-19, turned in one of the best seasons of his career.
The Mets’ search for a new manager, and a president of baseball operations, is still ongoing.
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