The Mets may be zeroing in on a replacement for Jeremy Hefner. Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard is “emerging as the favorite” for the position, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Joel Sherman of the New York Post seconded Sammon’s report, writing that Willard is “poised to be named the Mets pitching coach.”
Willard has been with Boston since November 2024. He had previously worked in Minnesota as a pitching coach and coordinator. Willard got his coaching start in the college ranks, first as a graduate 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 “really simple” approach when it comes to his pitching philosophy. “Throw nasty stuff in the zone. You can have nasty stuff, but it’s not gonna be maximized if you’re not in the zone.” That plan could play 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 made a slew of coaching changes this offseason, including moving on from Hefner. He had spent the past 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’ve been 15th or worse the past three years.
If he lands the gig, Willard will have plenty to work with in 2026. Top prospect Nolan McLean debuted in August and excelled over eight starts. He leads a young core that also includes Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Christian Scott. New York’s rotation was buoyed by veterans David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea. The trio struggled over the final couple of months of the season as New York coughed up a playoff spot, but they should be reliable sources of innings next year until the youngsters can take over.
The main task for Willard, if he were to be hired, might be to get Kodai Senga back on track. The NPB import dominated in his first MLB season in 2023, posting a sub-3.00 ERA to go with a 29.1% strikeout rate. Shoulder and calf injuries cost Senga nearly all of 2024, but he looked to have returned to ace status to begin 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 he couldn’t regain his form upon return. Senga stumbled to a 5.90 ERA over his final nine starts of the season. His walk rate ballooned to 12.7%. Miami tagged Senga for five earned runs on the final day of August, and New York demoted the struggling starter to Triple-A. Senga will likely be back with the big-league club in 2026, but he’ll need to perform better to hold on to his spot.