AP source: Mets hiring hitting coach Chávez away from Yanks

By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are set to hire Eric Chávez as hitting coach, luring him away from the crosstown Yankees as the team begins to put together a staff under new manager Buck Showalter. Chávez and the Mets have an agreement in place, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move had not been announced. The person also confirmed the Mets were close to hiring Joey Cora as third base coach and Wayne Kirby as first base coach. Chávez batted .268 with 260 homers during a 17-year major league career that ended in 2014. In a move announced last month, he had been hired by the New York Yankees as an assistant hitting coach.