Braves Hire Jeremy Hefner, Antoan Richardson

With the World Series officially over, the coaching carousel has continued to roar. The latest report, though, comes with an extra sting: former Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and first base coach Antoan Richardson have both been hired for the same roles with division rival Atlanta Braves. 

Originally a Met as a pitcher from 2012-2013, Hefner went on to serve as an assistant pitching coach with the Twins in 2019. He quickly earned a reputation in his lone season as a coach and was hired to return to Flushing as the pitching coach for 2020. He made his name in successfully bridging the gap between analytics and on-field performance. Among his most notable accomplishments was helping revive the careers of several pitchers, including David Peterson, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Griffin Canning. 

Richardson, who was hired as the first base coach before the 2024 season, became a household name among the Flushing Faithful in 2025. Namely for helping Juan Soto do his best José Reyes impression, becoming the first Met since Reyes in 2007 to lead the NL in steals. Soto tied for the league lead with a career-high 38 steals. His eye for the base paths helped the team lead all of baseball in stolen base percentage in 2025.

Richardson issued a statement via Anthony DiComo of MLB, “During the negotiation process, we weren’t fully aligned on how we viewed my value,” Richardson said. “I have great respect for their process and the conversations we had. This narrative of me not wanting to be a Met, that’s kind of bogus. 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.”

Despite each of their success with the club, after a disappointing 2025, the coaching staff faced a major overhaul. 

Time will tell how they do in Atlanta, but the news was likely read immediately before Queens let out a collective groan. Watching two respected staff members join Atlanta adds a little extra fuel to an already fierce rivalry.

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