{"id":116498,"date":"2025-11-02T11:03:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T11:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=116498"},"modified":"2025-11-02T11:03:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T11:03:13","slug":"power-drain-exposed-the-red-sox-feel-another-crack-as-the-mets-swoop-in-and-steal-their-director-of-pitching-whispers-of-instability-turn-sharper-as-leadership-bleeds-talent-and-futures-shift-in-sile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=116498","title":{"rendered":"POWER DRAIN EXPOSED: The Red Sox feel another crack as the Mets swoop in and steal their director of pitching whispers of instability turn sharper as leadership bleeds talent and futures shift in silent hallways every exit raises the stakes, every departure cuts deeper and as New York builds while Boston leaks, a new question rises in the shadows \u2014 is this a minor loss, or the beginning of a front-office unraveling..ll"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<nav aria-label=\"articleLabel\">\n<ol id=\"articleLabel__list\">\n<li id=\"articleLabel__listItem\">Red Sox<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<ul>\n<li><time datetime=\"2025-11-01176202072400018:12:04\">Published: Nov. 01, 2025, 6:12 p.m.<\/time><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\">\n<article id=\"arc-JEMR6VD43RDPDNHKXQKAV735HA\" data-type=\"article\">\n<div>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<div><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/G57MPJ7L3RBY3OGB24DF67VU44.jpg?auth=5c6b820b47639c6e8a485f61517d0e11a808e71997c8b00d5ae6ee8c793927a2&amp;width=500&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90 500w\" media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/G57MPJ7L3RBY3OGB24DF67VU44.jpg?auth=5c6b820b47639c6e8a485f61517d0e11a808e71997c8b00d5ae6ee8c793927a2&amp;width=800&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90 800w\" media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" sizes=\"80vw\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/G57MPJ7L3RBY3OGB24DF67VU44.jpg?auth=5c6b820b47639c6e8a485f61517d0e11a808e71997c8b00d5ae6ee8c793927a2&amp;width=1280&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, (max-width: 800px) 80vw, 60vw\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/G57MPJ7L3RBY3OGB24DF67VU44.jpg?auth=5c6b820b47639c6e8a485f61517d0e11a808e71997c8b00d5ae6ee8c793927a2&amp;width=1280&amp;smart=true&amp;quality=90\" alt=\"Red Sox suffer another front office defection as Mets poach director of pitching\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Justin Willard, who held the title of director of pitching for the Red Sox the last two years, is being hired as the new pitching coach of the New York Mets.(Photo by Maddie Malhotra\/Boston Red Sox\/Getty Images)Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"KP3NIC77VNGAZIZADMMODLEXMQ\">The exodus of officials leaving the Red Sox front office continued Saturday with the news that Justin Willard has agreed to become the New York Mets\u2019 pitching coach, an industry source confirmed.<\/p>\n<p id=\"CSCTJRTK6BHS7EU7XOPM6SSTKQ\">Willard, who was hired away from the Minnesota Twins by the Red Sox in November of 2023 as one of Craig Breslow\u2019s first hires, spent the last two years overhauling Boston\u2019s minor league pitching program.<\/p>\n<p id=\"TP4KDVTYXBAE5FLCBSMFC34RBQ\">On Willard\u2019s watch, the team graduated a number of homegrown starting pitching prospects to the big leagues, including Hunter Dobbins, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. By some measure, the majority of the organization\u2019s Top 10 prospects are now starting pitching prospects, a big step forward after the team had failed to develop its own prospects for more than a decade.<\/p>\n<p id=\"S2DNOFZTWJDE5BP4HUNVHE6YHQ\">While with the Red Sox, Willard split time between overseeing the minors while also contributing with the major league staff.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ABI5TCEXZBFGHP5MACFS7ZJ7HQ\">Willard replaces Jeremy Hefner in New York, one of several coaches on the major league staff who weren\u2019t retained after the Mets endured a poor second half that left them out of the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"MHE33OHTA5EKVHBXCZK6ZZYQA4\">Willard had previously spent six seasons with the Twins, including three as their minor league pitching coordinator.<\/p>\n<p id=\"LDMD2BYUDJFVZBZKQV26LXE5EY\">Earlier this offseason, the Red Sox lost assistant GM Paul Toboni to the Washington Nationals, who made him their president of baseball operations. Toboni then subsequently hired former Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson as an assistant GM with the Nats.<\/p>\n<p id=\"VYOK3CRP4NDAHHPZJSXRNIQOXI\">More recently, Toboni also hired former Red Sox minor league field coordinator Andrew Wright to serve in an unspecified player development role with the Nationals.<\/p>\n<p id=\"KYIB3FZCUFGRRK3HMTVODDM2OE\">News of the Mets\u2019 interest in Willard was first reported by The Athletic. The New York Post was the first to report his hiring.<\/p>\n<section data-gaid=\"\u00abR1n9b8m\u00bb\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the fourth time this offseason, the Red Sox are losing a member of their front office to another team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":116499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>POWER DRAIN EXPOSED: The Red Sox feel another crack as the Mets swoop in and steal their director of pitching whispers of instability turn sharper as leadership bleeds talent and futures shift in silent hallways every exit raises the stakes, every departure cuts deeper and as New York builds while Boston leaks, a new question rises in the shadows \u2014 is this a minor loss, or the beginning of a front-office unraveling..ll - 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