According to Will Sammon at The Athletic , sources are reporting that the Mets are hiring A.J. Ellis as their major-league strategy coordinator. Ellis is coming from the San Diego Padres, where he had been a special assistant in the front office since 2019.
Ellis was a big-league catcher for eleven years, starting in 2008 with the Dodgers. He was Clayton Kershaw's batterymate of choice for many years. He was traded to the Phillies in 2016, and played for the Marlins and Padres before retiring after the 2018 season. He was a part of the Padres team in 2018, while current Mets manager Andy Green was their manager. Even before retiring, Ellis was known for mentoring younger players, earning the moniker "Dad."
In hiring Ellis and promoting Mariano Duncan, the Mets will have filled two coaching positions on the major-league team. They have yet to make an announcement about a replacement for director of hitting Jeff Albert.
