Keith Hernandez pleasantly surprised by team’s belated retirement of his number

NEW YORK — Everything coming from the Mets this offseason seems to be sending a clear message: things are going to be different now.

Whether it’s fitting the roster with a former Cy Young winner and multiple All-stars, bringing in an establishment-type manager or adding a new general manager to work under Steve Cohen’s still fresh ownership, the club is hellbent on burying its reputation of dysfunction.

On Wednesday, in the dead of a lockout that’s ground most baseball news to a halt, the Mets made another move that fans had been waiting on for years. Keith Hernandez’s number 17 is now officially one of the Mets’ retired numbers, something that the legendary first baseman-turned-broadcaster said he genuinely thought would never happen.

“I was caught completely off guard,” Hernandez said of his reaction to the news. “I don’t think bewilderment is the right term, but I do feel like I’m lost in space that this happened to me.”

Once he found out, Hernandez tried, and failed, to tell his family.

“I couldn’t get a hold of anybody,” he chuckled. “No one answered.”

The jersey retirement ceremony will happen on July 9 when the Mets host the Marlins at Citi Field. Hernandez, the first captain in the club’s history, becomes the fourth player to have their number retired by the Mets. His 17 will hang proudly next to Jerry Koosman’s 36, Tom Seaver’s 41 and Mike Piazza’s 31. Managers Gil Hodges (14) and Casey Stengel (37) have also received the honor.

Buck adds familiar face: Buck Showalter didn’t have to go very deep into his Rolodex to find the latest member of his coaching staff.

While the Mets haven’t made any of their new coaching hires official yet, Wayne Kirby is expected to be named their first base coach. Kirby was Showalter’s first base coach in Baltimore from 2011-18. The move adds another former MLB player to the team’s offseason coaching overhaul — the Mets are expected to hire Joey Cora as their third base coach and lured Eric Chavez away from the Yankees to be their hitting coach. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner is the only on-field member to remain from Luis Rojas’ staff.