Mets Poach Eric Chavez From Yankees in Hitting Coach Heist

Chavez will reportedly serve as the Mets hitting coach rather than the Yankees assistant hitting coach in 2022.

Max Goodman | Jan 6, 2022

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A few weeks ago, the Yankees officially announced their coaching staff for the 2022 MLB season. Within the first week of the new year, however, it looks like a revision to that group of coaches needs to be made.

The Mets have reportedly poached Eric Chavez from his assistant hitting coach position on the Yankees' staff, hiring the former third baseman to serve as their primary hitting coach this season. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com was first to report Chavez's abrupt move from the Bronx to Queens.

Chavez was hired by the Yankees to work on manager Aaron Boone's staff, joining new hitting coach Dillon Lawson as an assistant. With Chavez heading crosstown in this offseason plot twist, that leaves Casey Dykes (New York's former Triple-A hitting coach) as the only other assistant hitting coach currently remaining on the Yankees' big-league staff.

Speaking to reporters last month, Boone opened up about how excited he was to have Chavez on his staff.

"I kind of view him as a little bit of a Swiss Army [knife], where he's going to have a lot of different responsibilities, he's going to have his hands on a lot of different things and it's a role that I feel like is going to evolve as he allows it to," Boone said just over two weeks ago.

READ: Yankees' Aaron Boone Explains How Eric Chavez Fits on New York's Coaching Staff

It's worth noting that Chavez already had a close relationship with the Mets' new general manager Billy Eppler from their time together within both the Yankees and Angles organizations. Chavez was a player and special assignment scout under Eppler in New York before he was hired as a special assistant when Eppler took over as the Angels' GM. He also spent some time as Los Angeles' Triple-A skipper.

Earlier in the offseason, the Yankees scooped up Luis Rojas to be their new third base coach shortly after his two-year stint as Mets manager came to an end.

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Published Jan 6, 2022

MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.