Mets To Hire Derek Johnson

The Mets are expected to hire former pitching coach Derek Johnson, as first reported by Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Will Sammon of The Athletic adds that Johnson will serve in an advisory role with New York.

Johnson has been a big-league pitching coach for the past decade. After three seasons as a minor league pitching coordinator with the Cubs, he became the Brewers pitching coach in 2016. Johnson remained in the NL Central for his next gig, joining the Reds as pitching coach in 2019. Cincinnati extended Johnson and named him the director of pitching after the 2021 campaign.

The Reds officially parted ways with Johnson at the end of the season, though he hadn’t been with the club for several months. Johnson stepped away for personal reasons in June. President of baseball operations Nick Krall announced in October that Johnson wouldn’t be returning to the team.

Cincinnati has developed a solid group of starters in recent years. Hunter Greene cleaned up his command and has been an ace-caliber arm when healthy. Chase Burns delivered a stellar first full season in the majors this past year. Both Greene and Burns are former first-rounders with elite stuff, but the team has also been able to get strong results out of Andrew Abbott. A flyball pitcher in Great American Ball Park seems like a tricky proposition, though Abbott has made it work.

Andy Green will take over as full-time manager for the Mets after filling in for Carlos Mendoza last year. Most of his staff is intact, including pitching coach Justin Willard and assistant pitching coach Dan McKinney. Willard and McKinney were brought on last season as part of a coaching overhaul.

The Mets got a breakout season from Nolan McLean and solid results from youngsters Christian Scott and Zac Thornton. The veterans … not so much. Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson shuffled in and out of the rotation due to poor results. Peterson was eventually traded and Senga finished the year as the team’s closer. Offseason trade acquisition Freddy Peralta was brutal in New York, then bounced back after getting dealt to Tampa Bay. McLean and Scott will headline the 2027 rotation, with Thornton, Senga, and Manaea contending for spots. Jonah Tong, Jack Wenninger, and Jonathan Santucci could also factor into the mix.