The Mets are making a few big changes in the coaching staff, sources confirmed to The Post, notably promoting Eric Chavez to bench coach and Jeremy Barnes to hitting coach to replace Chavez.
Chavez received plaudits last year as several Mets improved in his first year coaching the hitters. He is likely seen as a future manager who should receive excellent tutelage under veteran manager Buck Showalter, who just won his fourth Manager of the Year award with his fourth different team. Chavez, the former star with the A’s who also played for the Yankees, worked under Mets GM Billy Eppler with the Angels before joining Showalter’s inaugural Mets staff last year.
The widely respected Chavez was a candidate to be Angels manager when Brad Ausmus was hired before the 2019 season.
Eppler declined comment Monday night on the coaching moves.
Barnes was said to have been coveted by a couple different teams, which helped lead to his promotion. Mets people were very impressed with him in his first year as well for his work under Chavez.
Glenn Sherlock, Showalter’s right-hand man who served as bench coach last year, is to move to a role where he coaches the team’s catchers and works to prevent the opposition running game via pitch calling. It’s seen as a vital role, especially with the expectation that top prospect Francisco Alvarez will be on the team in 2023, if not at the beginning of the season than certainly at some point.
Meanwhile, the Mets remain very busy in even more vital matters. The current focus is filling out a pitching staff gutted by free agency. Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, Adam Ottavino and Seth Lugo all remain free agents. DeGrom is the main object of their mound attention, but the Mets have also been in contact with outside stars Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodon.
