Former Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland set to land with New York Mets

The Royals parted ways with pitching coach Dave Eiland earlier this month, a move designed to add new voices to a staff in the beginning phases of a rebuild. It appears Eiland may land on his feet.

Eiland, 51, is positioned to become the new pitching coach for the New York Mets, according to a report from Newsday. The hire has not been confirmed by the team. Yet Eiland appears ready to join the staff of new manager Mickey Callaway, who previously served as the pitching coach with the Cleveland Indians.

Eiland spent seven seasons as the Royals’ pitching coach, helping the club to two American League pennants and the 2015 World Series championship, which came at the expense of the Mets. He will guide a New York pitching staff built around young starters Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom.

Eiland, who also won a World Series ring with the New York Yankees, was a pivotal member of the staff under manager Ned Yost. He oversaw one of the most dominant bullpens in baseball in 2014 and 2015. He was also instrumental in turning Danny Duffy into a frontline starting pitcher, helping turn around the career of Jeremy Guthrie and coaxing strong performances from veterans Edinson Volquez and Jason Vargas.

Eiland and Callaway were teammates on the 1999 Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Former Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland set to land with New York Mets."