Mets Hire Former MLB Catcher With Ties To Andy Green

The New York Mets are about to undergo a long offseason with plenty of question marks after a disappointing 2026 campaign. 

One question they don't need to answer is regarding the manager, as interim Andy Green was given a three-year deal after he replaced Carlos Mendoza during the season. 

Even despite the disappointing season, the Mets have decent hopes to end the title drought in 2027, although nobody knows when or if baseball will be played due to the upcoming MLB lockout. 

On Wednesday, New York announced a key move to the coaching staff. Former MLB catcher A.J. Ellis has been hired as a major-league strategy coordinator, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. 

Ellis spent 11 seasons in the majors, and he has tied to Andy Green. Ellis played with the San Diego Padres in 2018, his final season in the majors, and that was when Andy Green was the manager. 

After Ellis finished playing, he transitioned to a role with the Padres in the front office as a special assistant.

Ellis' playing career most notably included nearly nine full seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he spent plenty of time catching superstar Clayton Kershaw.

Ellis then finished the season in 2016 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent 2017 with the Miami Marlins before playing his final campaign in San Diego. 

For the Mets, this is another key hire of a former MLB player. Earlier in the offseason, they hired Mariano Duncan to the staff as a "Major League coach" in a new role. 

Duncan was previously in the Mets farm system, so he got a promotion to the big-league staff. 

The Mets have some holes to fill after they moved on from hitting coach Jeff Albert, quality assurance coach Danny Barnes and batting practice pitcher Kevin Mahoney. 

They are also seeking a new hitting coach, but so far, Andy Green has found two coaches with plenty of big-league experience, and he also knows Ellis very well from their time together in San Diego. 

Free agency is right around the corner, and so is the lockout, so the Mets are expected to try and find a hitting coach in the near future. 

Chicago Cubs hitting coach John Mallee recently withdrew his name from consideration for the opening, so the front office still has work to do in an effort to round out the staff for Andy Green's first full season as the team's manager.