According to a new report in The Athletic, the Boston Red Sox could be on the verge of losing a key member of their coaching staff.

Per Will Sammon:

The New York Mets are closing in on their search for a new pitching coach with Justin Willard emerging as the favorite, league sources told The Athletic.

Willard, 35, is the Boston Red Sox director of pitching and holds several years of experience in pitching development. He joined the Red Sox in November 2023. Previously, Willard spent a handful of years as a minor-league coach and coordinator with the Minnesota Twins.

Impact on Boston

The Red Sox are coming off a season in which they made the playoffs for the first time since 2021, and they are seen as an ascending group in the American League. It's never a good thing to lose a key member of your staff when you're in that spot, but that's the nature of the sport.

The Red Sox obviously went out and brought in an ace in Garrett Crochet last offseason, but they have seen several pitchers develop under Willard, including Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Payton Tolle, and Connelly Early, all who contributed to this year's team.

Tolle and Early could be key parts of the 2026 group. Brayan Bello also developed this season as well.

Other offseason questions

In addition to potentially losing Willard, the Red Sox have questions about how they'd replace assistant general manager Paul Toboni, who just left for the GM role with the Washington Nationals. On the field, they are staring down the potential of losing Alex Bregman, who is likely to opt-out of his contract and test free agency. They could also lose Lucas Giolito.

Timing

The World Series ends on Saturday night in Game 7 between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, and once it does, it's onto 2026. The trade market will open up on Sunday and free agency will officially kick off in five days.

The Red Sox are expected to be active in free agency and could look to bring back Bregman and Giolito, among other possible outside fits.

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