Coming off a shocking second-half collapse that kept them out of the postseason, the New York Mets might be about to lose a valuable member of their coaching staff, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
“The New York Mets and first-base coach Antoan Richardson have not come to terms on a new contract and Richardson is expected to leave the organization, sources told ESPN,” Passan wrote via X on Monday. “Richardson was lauded for his work with Mets baserunners and will seek another job when his contract expires.”
Richardson spent two years with the Mets after coming over from the San Francisco Giants, where he held the same position.
Mets players have largely credited him with the team's success on the basepaths, where they stole 147 bases in 165 attempts in 2025. That included a record-tying 39 straight successful attempts.
First-year Met Juan Soto had 38 steals in 2025, tied for the most in the National League.
“Antoan did an unbelievable job, he's been helping me since Day 1,” Soto said via SNY. “So I think I give him all the credit. He's the one who put me in this situation and in this spot to do what I've done.”
Brandon Nimmo lauded Richardson's communication chops in April.
“He’s a really good communicator and he’s able to be really personable with a lot of different types of personalities,” he said, via Newsday's Laura Albanese. “He’s able to connect with you on whatever level you’re at and then he’s able to relay that information in a very simple way so it makes it easy for you to translate that into the game.”
Albanese pointed out in the same story that the Mets, as a team, were slow. Their 27-foot-per-second sprint speed at the time was the fourth-worst in the Majors, yet they ranked third overall in baserunning runs.
“His ability to communicate, build relationships and earn the trust of the players is what makes him who he is — a really good person, a special person, a coach that cares a lot,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza added.
