4:11pm: The Mets officially announced the coaching changes, including the additional news that Jeremy Accardo has been named the team’s “pitching strategist,” a newly-created role. Accardo had previously been working as New York’s minor league pitching coordinator following two years as a pitching and bullpen coach in the Mets’ farm system.
2:35pm: Phil Regan will take over for Eiland, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). The former MLB hurler managed the Orioles for one season (1995) and has plenty of coaching experience. The 82-year-old has been involved with the Mets organization for some time and had been listed as pitching coordinator of the team’s minor league/player development group.
Ricky Bones will take over as the bullpen coach; he had served in that role last season but was replaced by Hernandez.
2:07pm: The Mets have parted ways with pitching coach Dave Eiland, per a report from James Wagner of the New York Times (via Twitter). Bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez is also on his way out, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Plans for replacements aren’t yet known.
Eiland had been hired in advance of the 2018 season. He was a key hire for the staff of then-rookie skipper Mickey Callaway, who was himself a former pitching coach. Before coming to New York, Eiland had long guided the hurlers for the Royals.
This move comes as the Mets continue to sink in the standings. Their rotation hasn’t been quite the exceptional unit it was expected to be, while the bullpen has been an unmitigated disaster. That’s obviously not entirely the fault of these pitching instructors, but they’ll take the fall in hopes that a mid-season shakeup can deliver improved results.
Gotta love scapegoat coaching fires by managers trying to save their jobs.
The biggest disappointments of the season are pitching and relief. Though reuniting with Familia was probably not the best decision for that cost.
Serious question: How much input do pitching coaches have on off-season moves involving pitchers (trades, signing free agents)?
None.
They do have a non-zero amount but it is minimal. Teams generally only pay attention to what their coaches say if that coach has a previous relationship with that player. For example, Mets very likely spoke to Eiland before signing Vargas. If he said “Vargas is a nutcase and created a lot of drama” Vargas probably would not be here.
Outside of that, it would take an extraordinary situation for a team to make a move based on what a coach says.
Think of it like checking references. You won’t get hired if your reference says something awful, and you’ll get hired if your reference says something great. But no amount of references compensates for a crappy resume and a crappy interview. No one is even calling your references before you make it to the final stages.
They don’t have decision making abilities, but the idea obviously is when they’re making decisions about the direction of the organization they choose players and coaches that align with that.
You couldn’t possibly know Familia would be this bad. Unless you have a crystal ball. Pitching coach and bullpen coach need to go if they can’t figure out why you’d once dominant pitchers are now getting lit up. That’s their job. They need to see what the issue is and correct it hence “coach”. Is it mechanical, are they tipping pitches, are they hurt but not telling. It all lands on them. Mickey needs to go too because as a former pitching coach he should be better at his detection and use of his pitchers.
the GM fired him, not the manager.
Um, the manager doesn’t fire coaches.
That’s Brody
Not Cab Callaway
Just as I predicted. Riggelman to be the manager before too long. Calloway as new pitching coach?
nah
Get Joe Girardi back in the big apple
Man I wish! I don’t think he would fit well with the Coupons. Girardi won’t allow them to dictate his lineup choices.
These moves are a joke. Pitching coach and bullpen coach. Yeah they’re the problem. Wouldn’t be the owners fault for hiring a GM with no clue. How embarrassing it must be to be in the same city as the Yankees.
First steps. Clearly, these two and Mickey have not been able to straighten out the pen or Thor and have only somewhat helped Matz and Wheeler, This isn’t hitting, where a guy at the major league level should be able to look at some video, know what works for him and what doesn’t, and make necessary corrections with a little help from the hitting coach. There are probably too many little things involved in pitching for most pitchers to self-correct or self-improve without at least help knowing how to do it. They got where they are on talent and probably don’t really understand how they do what they do more so than hitters. They need the coaches to help on a larger scale, not just set up game plans for how they approach each opposing hitter. Mickey, Dave, and Chuck have not done this.
LOL
What should they have done instead? Kept them? BVW’s moves in the offseason were not universally panned. In fact, he garnered a lot of praise. It’s the coach’s job to prepare the players and use them properly. The problem isn’t that they’ve fired Eiland and Hernandez, it’s that they haven’t fired Callaway as well.
The moves were not universally panned because Mets fans are perpetually desperate. What makes anyone think that a smooth talking handsome agent would know what do to turn around a failing franchise?
With ZERO experience at building a roster or evaluating talent, he played the “super confident” face of the franchise telling everyone that wanted to hear,, including the ignorant owners that they were only a couple of pieces away from championship caliber.
And his trades now go down as the worst in the franchise’s history. This is for a team rich in bad moves and signings.
Today’s moves are all Fred. Typically Mets they are too little and too late. He goes from the bottom up…what a joke. This is after sunny boy called a meeting with the Mgr and GM and within 5 minutes leaked it to the press.
There are two things that we know:
-The Mets have not hit bottom and the saga will continue.
-The only solution is for ownership change and the fans continued support weakens the pressure and embarrassment on baseball’s laughing stock owners.
Ok now the Mets’ season is saved
Yeah yeah it’s all his fault right. BVW and Mickey getting desperate.
Mickey has absolutely no input here and should, imo, be fired as well. For BVW, he’s in the first half of his first season as GM, and he’s got to work under the Wilpons. Give him a break.
Now release seawald from the organization. He should never pitch in the bigs again but will be up later in the season
Sewald has a 3.86 ERA with the Mets this year and 3.81 in Syracuse,…but yeah getting rid of him is clearly the logical next step to contention.
Brodie putting Mickey on notice when they both should be fired
No man is an Eiland
Props, you beat me to it.
Score!
I am an Eiland.
The thing with coach firing is that we have no clue how well or horrible they’re doing their job really. We don’t get to see their work. We get to see their outcomes but that’s probably 90% the players doing. So when something goes wrong with their area of expertise then its the easiest way of making a change
this clearly a Wilpon directed move – they hired the manager and don’t want to pay two manager salaries……as well as look foolish for being duped by Mickey into hiring him only to fire him < 2 seasons later. Brodie is just following orders like a good puppet GM should.
You seem to be wrong since not only are they replacing them, they created another role.
THE IDIOT MGR. Is the Problem – NOT
DAVE EILAND.
Phil Regan! I thought he was dead!
I dont even remember him pitching. And I’m old!
He’s 82….They should institute a timer on him when he makes trips to the mound.
He will go half way and meet the pitcher at the foul line, no way he can climb the mound. Must have a heck of a mind tho.
So standing on the foul line the communication will be just short of shouting to compensate for Phil’s hearing
Hearing loss, thereby guaranteeing the batters the best chance of crushing the next few pitches.
I believe they used to call him “The Vulture”, mom……and he may be dead. Do you really think the Mets would know?
Huge improvement with Phil over Eiland. Excited to see the noticeable difference with Diaz performance these past 4 games against the Phils.
Need to get rid of the Wilpons, Brodie, & Calloway. Clearly Wilpons won’t go anywhere and they’re going to stick with Brodie because they’re ignorant and will let this project go several years beyond where it should go.
So I guess they will just fire random coaches and hang their hat on them being the reason why the team is not living up to expectations? Sick of this team throwing out money to players like Swarzak, Bruce (granted not made by Brodie), Lowrie, Frazier, etc just to say, “see we spend money.”
Find an identity and build your team off that. The ownership is a joke. The coaching from Mickey is a joke. The moves made by Brodie were a joke.
Lowrie is the only Brodie move you mentioned there. Not sure why you only mentioned that Bruce isn’t a Brodie move.
How about Cano? That is the worst trade inn MLB history.
I wrote it poorly. The point I was trying to make is that when the Mets do spend money, they spend it on players, like the ones I listed, knowing damn well they will make a minimal impact.
Tossing $10+ mil annually at aged veterans has never been the answer for any ball club. It’s the allowance the Wilpons supply as their scapegoat to claim that they do in fact spend money.
A rookie GM, with a second year manager is a recipe for disaster with horrible owners pulling the strings.
And the biggest joke of all; indignant Mets fans that defend the team, support ticket sales and SNY, and act like the great winning streak to reverse the ills is starting tomorrow.
The worst is their social media.. Brag about the 2-4 day McNeil had with 2 singles and a run scored meanwhile the team gave up 8 runs in the 7th.. God I hate being a Mets fan
Time to declare your freedom. Admit your mistakes and cut your losses. You can simply promise not to give the Wilpon’s another nickel of your money and find another team to watch so you don’t click on SNY.
Thats the thing. I’m too far into life rooting for this damn team. I sadly can’t fully cheer for another team. These losers got me for life 🙁
Ok Met fans problem solved!! Now line up at the box office and pay no mind to the won-lost record moving forward.
Phil Regan! Didn’t know he was still alive!
82 years old? Is he gonna have a cart to use for mound visit?
He will have a walker with the tennis balls one the legs. They are also going to build a nursing home in the dugout.
As if Fred Wilpon would pay for such a thing.
Grey Power!
And a Defibrillator.. Good thing they have a limit to mound visits. He would need a little rascal to ride back and forth by the 5th game with this staff..
In case anyone was wondering, Phil Regan’s last season as a major league player was 1972. He did have a pretty solid major league career.
I watched some old recorded games. They were black and white and he looked good in post game interviews with Ralph Kiner
Next, Callaway and hire Joe Girardi
Than start the trading; Trade Wheeler and Frazier plus a couple of mil that’s owed to him to Padres for Mejia and pitching prospects.
Trade Matz to Milwaukee for Corey Ray and a prospect we haven’t had a real CF with speed since Dykstra and Mookie.
Bring up the kids to fill out the rotation to see what they have.
In what world would anyone actually make this trade? Wheeler and Frazier are rentals and not even the top ones that will likely be available.
Do you want Kershaw too, maybe a low level minor leaguer and tickets to a broadway show would get it done idk.
Trade Matz for Corey Ray? yeah you high buddy. Stearns hangs up on you and cracks a cold one
Did Chuck Hernandez make it a full season with the Braves? He hasn’t had very good luck. It’s kind of telling.
Yes unfortunately he did, 2 seasons actually after the Braves made the stupid (IMO)decision to part ways with Roger McDowell.
Serious question, did Mets fans actually think your team would be good this year?
As a Braves fan living in NY, I obviously have to watch the Braves on MLB.TV, except for when they play the Mets because of black out restrictions, watching the just concluded series on SNY I have to say what a class act Ron Darling is, what a joy to have him back in the broadcast booth. Sure makes you wonder if he would ever consider being the pitching coach?
why would Ron want to listen to idiots like us then? He is Yale educated – smart enough to know he has it made
Who should be the teams manager?
The pitching coach with no managerial experience
Who should be the GM?
The player agent with no front office experience
Who should be the pitching coach we pair with the unqualified manager who sold us on knowing how to get the most out of our talented young arms and preventing injury with new age techniques?
Ladies and gentlemen…the Wilpons!
Good old “The Vulture” 14-1
in his first year as a reliever with the 1966 Dodgers (hence the nickname). Dodgers sadly lost the World Series that year to the Orioles. Then he got to be part of the epic 1969 Cubs collapse when the Mets blew past them on their way to a World Series win. The stories he must have!
can blame him for his rotation being made of spare parts, his rotation always being injured, and his GM is c
incompetent. then again, think the roation has underperformed despite their shortcommings. makes sense to get rid of him, but Van Wagenen should be gone as well.
Next promotion: Arm-side run mullah.
Brodie sucks. Mickey is Mr. Positivity but Cano, Lowrie and Familia were laughed at from day 1. Cheers Mets fans. Your owner loves you!
The team has a general manager with no experience the team has a manager with no experience the team had a pitching coach who has more than one World Series ring as a pitching coach. So they fired the pitching coach! Got to love big dumpster fire that is the New York Mets.
Will Regan be the oldest coach ever?
Might as well fire the bat and ball boys and toss the bat weights in the garbage too..
Did the Mariners actually make a decent trade? Diaz should be fine but Cano is going to hurt the Mets as each year passes.
Speaking of Diaz and Cano
Mlb’s new top 100 has Jared Kelenic #25 now.
Ouch.
Yes the Mariners got the better deal.
no. Diaz will rebound in time, and Cano will not be as terrible. Kelenic has yet to hit AA and Dunn could just end up as any old pitcher. Meanwhile, the Mariners just lost $20 million in dumping Bruce, so thats not helping them either. regardless, that was a stupd trade to make for both sides. the Mets should not have gone all in, and the Mariners should not have traded Diaz in a salery dump. regardless, its way too early to tell.
As a Mets fan, this move makes no sense to me. How is Eiland the reason why the pitching is underachieving this year? Is Eiland playing 3/4 of the team out of position which hurts the defense and leads to more runs scored. Our SS can’t move to his right well. With Nimmo out indefinitely, what does Mets management think will be the collective ERA with an outfield of J.D. Davis, Conforto, and Dom Smith.
Where is Van Waganen and Calloway’s accountability in this mess that finds the team in 4th place again in June pretty much out the race? Did Eiland trade for Diaz and sign Familia? Is Eiland running Gsellman out there so much that he’s worthless 1/2 the time. Did Eiland stock our farm system with below average pitching talent?
I can just imagine the conversation the last two days in Mets land:
BVW and MC: You know the Diamondbacks had a terrible year in 2016 and then they hired a pitching strategist and turned it around.. We should do that do.
Wilpons: Great thinking. I bet Jeremy would be interested. He’s already on staff so it won’t increase payroll. It’s a big promotion for him. Plus, the Yankees don’t have one so we can one up them.
Diamondbacks Pitching Strategist: Dan Harren 2,419 IP, W/L 151-131, 3.75 ERA, 2013 SO, 3X AS
Mets Pitching Strategist: Jeremy Accardo: 284 IP, W/L- 10-20, 4.30 ERA , 205 SO,
Once again they go the cheap route and bring in below average talent. It’s getting hard to continue to support this team with this ownership.
come back to KC dave. he is a great pitching coach and we miss him
He is available, but he had better talent to work with the last time he was there.
Lets just focus on getting PETE ALONSO to the all star game. He should be #1 for first base voting.