Former New York Mets coach Eric Chavez slammed SNY's Freelance Editorial Producer John Flanigan over allegedly misquoting him regarding Juan Soto. Flanigan wrote an article that included Chavez's quotes from his appearance on Thursday's episode of "Foul Territory" about Soto's approach at the plate.On Thursday, SleeperMets shared a screenshot of Chavez's Instagram story, in which he demanded that SNY fire Flanigan for producing and spreading false content at his expense. "John Flanigan from SNY needs to be fired," he allegedly wrote. "If he needs a quote from me, ask me. IM always honest w the media. I don't know him. Never asked me about Juan. SNY needs to do better at who they hire. Fake News!"Since Chavez's Instagram profile is set to private, we were unable to verify his comments.Chavez was among the several staff members who were let go following the Mets' disappointing 2025 season. Despite a strong start, which had the Mets leading the NL East with a 45-24 record on June 12, they finished the season with an 83-79 record, missing the postseason.What did Mets coach Eric Chavez say about Juan Soto that fueled the controversy with John Flanigan from SNY?During his podcast appearance, Chavez said he discussed with manager Carlos Mendoza about potentially making Soto more aggressive at the plate.The following are Chavez's quotes from Flanigan's article for SNY:“There were some times where I talked to Carlos about if we could get him to swing maybe 0-0 or even at some pitches he could do damage on early in counts -- but Juan is a precision hitter, I wouldn’t get him out of his comfort zone at all," Chavez said.He also wanted Mendoza to put Soto in the leadoff spot like the Dodgers did with Shohei Ohtani.“Juan is so good at getting on-base,” Chavez said. “There are times where things are going and you’re in the middle of the lineup. Like Pete Alonso, we know Pete is going to chase, Pete is going to do damage. Juan can drive in 140 runs, but instead of doing that where you’re telling him to get out of his comfort zone, slide him into the leadoff spot.“He steals bases, he gets on base at a 40-percent clip, don’t have him get out of his comfort zone of what he likes to do, but you could be just as dynamic in the leadoff spot if you look at Shohei [Ohtani] and what he's done. Without changing the player too much, just change where he hits in the battling lineup.”The controversy possibly stems from the headline used by SNY on their X page, which implies that Chavez directly talked or tried to force Soto to change his approach at the plate:"Eric Chavez tried to change Juan Soto's approach during the slugger's first season with the Mets."SNY @SNYtvLINKEric Chavez tried to change Juan Soto's approach during the slugger's first season with the Mets https://t.co/6LP3ojTOFlChávez seemed unhappy with the way his quotes were interpreted, as his quotes imply that he didn't force the $765 million hitter to make any changes to the way he approached the plate.Chávez joined the Mets in January 2022 as the hitting coach. After the 2022 season, he transitioned to bench coach. He returned to the hitting coach role in 2024.