SF Giants need to take advantage of New York Mets mistake

In a bit of a surprise, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Monday that first base coach Antoan Richardson is expected to leave the New York Mets. The SF Giants should take advantage of this mistake and bring Richardson back to San Francisco.

SF Giants need to take advantage of New York Mets mistake

The Mets and Richardson were unable to agree to terms to a new deal, leaving the door open for him to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Several Mets players, including Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo, were complimentary of the work Richardson did this season.

In particular, Soto credited Richardson for helping him reach 30 steals in 2025. Soto stole 38 bases in 42 opportunities in his first season with the Mets while being a below-average runner. His previous career-high was 12 stolen bases.

As a team, the Mets were the slowest team in baseball with an average sprint speed of 26.9 feet per second. Nevertheless, they were successful in 89.1 percent of stolen base attempts. It takes more than just speed to steal bases, and the Giants need more of that acumen.

When Buster Posey began his search for a new manager, he wanted someone who would be obsessive about the details. One detail that has been overlooked and exposed has been the club's baserunning.

Even with the implementation of the new rules in 2023, the Giants have stolen the fewest bases at 193 steals. The Detroit Tigers have the second-fewest at 222 steals. Other teams have lapped the Giants in that category.

No one will confuse the Giants with being a fast team, but they have a handful of fast baserunners. Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, Willy Adames, and Tyler Fitzgerald are all comfortably above-average baserunners.

Adames led the club with 12 steals in 2025. On the other hand, slower runners like Juan Soto and Josh Naylor stole at least 30 bags apiece, and they were efficient at doing it, too. It is one thing to steal at a high volume, but the trick is being able to do it at an efficient rate.

This is where someone like Antoan Richardson comes into play. Before joining the Mets' coaching staff, he served as the Giants' first base coach for four seasons beginning in 2020. During that time, the Giants were successful in 79.2 percent of stolen base attempts.

That rates tends to be a reflection of the first base coach. However, they did not steal at a high volume, and that is likely more of a reflection of the manager and front office who did not prioritize it.

Of course, Richardson is more than familiar with the Giants. He not only served as a coach, but was drafted by the organization as well.

Tony Vitello's success as manager will depend in large part on the value that the coaching staff brings. If he wants to put together a strong staff, then adding Richardson would be a good starting point. Of course, he will be in demand this offseason.