Jeremy Hefner Refuses To Name The Mets After Securing Braves Deal

Jeremy Hefner (Image Credits: Imagn)

Jeremy Hefner Refuses To Name The Mets After Securing Braves Deal

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports
By Cresswell McCoy | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 10:52 AM ET

Jeremy Hefner and the New York Mets parted ways in the wrong manner. Hefner was fired from the club as the team’s pitching coach after a disappointing 2025 season. The team posted a miserable 4.03 ERA, ranking No. 18 in MLB. They had a pretty active offseason by shaking up their roster.

Injuries were a part of their disaster, but Hefner was asked to leave. Hefner was not the only one, as hitting coach Eric Chavez was out too. Justin Willard took over Hefner’s position as a pitching coach for the Mets. First base coach Antoan Richardson was fired, too.

However, Jeremy Hefner quickly became the pitching coach with the Mets’ NL East rival, the Atlanta Braves.

Jeremy Hefner Refuses To Mention The New York Mets During His First Interview

Jeremy Hefner (Image Credits: Imagn)

Hefner appeared in his first press conference as the Atlanta Braves’ pitching coach, and he refused to mention the “Mets.” Instead, Hefner referred to the Mets as the “team up north.”

“Yeah, a lot of respect for this organization,” Hefner said when asked about what it was like to be with the Atlanta Braves after leaving the Mets. “Grew up watching the Braves on TBS, watching [John] Smoltz, [Greg] Maddux, and [Tom] Glavine — all those guys do their thing,” Hefner said.

“And then obviously been with that other team up north for a number of years, both as a player and as a coach. A lot of admiration and respect for this group. And just super grateful to be here and looking forward to continuing to work with these guys,” Hefner continued.

Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said “that other team up north” in reference to his former employer pic.twitter.com/FC5u3twoA6
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 12, 2026