New York Mets finalize their coaching staff

Of the new names that hadn’t been reported, the most notable is perhaps Gilbert Gomez. At just 33 years old, Gomez has already earned rave reviews as a rising coaching talent. He managed the Mets’ High-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, and led them to a championship earlier this year; he also spent time managing the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League. Gomez has long been viewed as a future major-league coach.

He will replace former Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson, who left the club for the division-rival Atlanta Braves. Richardson gained a reputation as one of the best first base coaches in baseball after helping the Mets revitalize their running game and lead the majors in successful stolen base percentage at 88.4%. Gomez will have big shoes to fill, but it’s worth noting that his 2025 Cyclones team ranked second in the South Atlantic League with 257 stolen bases.

Another internal promotion is J.P. Arencibia, who takes over Glenn Sherlock’s role as catching coach. Arencibia served as bench coach for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Mets. A former major-league catcher with the Blue Jays, Arencibia gained traction as a coach through his work with Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez.

In June, the Mets sent down Álvarez to Triple-A Syracuse in hopes of him regaining his form both offensively and defensively. After the demotion, Álvarez quickly bounced back, looking again like the player the Mets envisioned and putting together a strong second half of the season.

In a July 8 article from The Athletic, Will Sammon reported that Álvarez had worked closely with Arencibia on both his defense and offense. The 39-year-old former major leaguer clearly gained a strong reputation for his work with Álvarez and other players, and he has now been rewarded.

The other new face to the staff is Dan McKinney, who will serve as assistant pitching coach. Like Gomez and Arencibia, McKinney was promoted from within; he was the pitching coach for the Mets’ Double-A affiliate, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

McKinney has built a strong reputation for his work with the organization’s young arms, many of whom have climbed the rankings and found real success. Notable pitchers he has worked with include Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat, all of whom excelled at Double-A and have since made their major league debuts.

Binghamton also led the league with a 2.96 team ERA and an 11.1 K/9 in 2025. McKinney will work under new Mets pitching coach Justin Willard, who was previously reported to be taking the role after coming over from the Boston Red Sox.

In addition, Rafael Fernandez, who served as a coaching assistant on the Mets’ staff last season, will now take on the role of assistant hitting coach under new hitting coach Troy Snitker and new director of major league hitting Jeff Albert.

The other coaches who had been reported earlier include Kai Correa, who will serve as bench coach, Tim Leiper, who will handle third base coaching duties, and José Rosado, who returns as bullpen coach.

Now that the coaching staff is finalized, the Mets can fully turn their attention to the offseason and crafting a roster built to compete in 2026.