Mets cut Jeff Albert and Danny Barnes from Andy Green's staff

This is the first real staff move since the Mets took the interim tag off Andy Green, and it's a small one. The news landed Tuesday afternoon.

Anthony DiComo

@AnthonyDiComo

Sources: Mets director of Major League hitting Jeff Albert, quality assurance coach Danny Barnes and BP pitcher Kevin Mahoney will not return to the coaching staff next season. They could remain in the org but are free to speak with other clubs. All other coaches are returning.

Note the fine print. Albert, Barnes and Mahoney could still stay in the organization in other jobs, but they're free to talk to other clubs. So nobody is getting walked out of Citi Field. The Mets are cleaning out part of the dugout and leaving the door open, which is about as gentle as a coaching change gets.

Albert is the name people know. He was the Cardinals' hitting coach for 4 seasons, then spent 3 years in the Mets system as director of hitting development before getting moved up to the big league staff in 2026 under Carlos Mendoza. One year after that promotion he's off the major league staff. Mendoza is gone too. Green replaced him in June and then got a 3-year extension through 2029, so the rest of this staff now works for a guy who has job security, and Albert's group didn't make the cut.

Barnes lasted longer than any manager he worked for. The former Blue Jays pitcher and Long Island native was hired as an assistant under Buck Showalter in 2022 and spent 5 years on the staff in different roles under 4 managers, which included running major league spring training. Mahoney came over after 12 years in the Yankees organization and threw BP in Queens for 2 seasons.

The real question is who replaces Albert, and DiComo had more on that a few hours later.

Anthony DiComo

@AnthonyDiComo

More on the Mets' coaching changes, including their plans to replace director of hitting Jeff Albert: t.co/uqnFSCPat0

According to MLB.com, the Mets plan to interview several hitting instructors with different levels of experience. Whoever they hire could take Albert's director role or slot in under hitting coach Troy Snitker, who is coming back. So are Rafael Fernandez, the longest-tenured coach on the staff, bench coach Kai Correa and pitching coach Justin Willard. The Mets fired a manager midseason, so this offseason was always going to be about the roster and the front office more than the coaches. Keeping almost everyone tells you Green likes the room he has. Swapping out the top hitting job tells you he thinks the offense needs a new voice. Watch who they interview. That hire will show whether Green wants a big name above Snitker or just another set of hands under him.