Saturday presents a rare bright spot for a furious and exhausted New York Mets fan base, which will watch the team retire Hall of Fame outfielder Carlos Beltrán’s No. 15 in a pregame ceremony.
We’ve previously half-joked that the Mets should make it two feats in one day and announce Beltran as their next manager. He’s been linked to the job for months, and the rumors only ramped up after ownership announced that interim manager Andy Green would return to the front office upon the season’s end.
Maybe we collectively jumped the gun, at least in MLB insider Jon Heyman’s eyes. In a column previewing the upcoming managerial cycle, Heyman named ex-Cubs skipper David Ross, Cardinals legend Albert Pujols, and former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli as potential candidates alongside Beltran.
“This job should require previous MLB experience, which makes Pujols and Beltran gambles,” Heyman wrote.
Neither Pujols nor Beltran has formally worked on MLB coaching staffs. However, Pujols managed the Dominican Republic during this past spring’s World Baseball Classic, and Beltran spent the 2019 offseason as the Mets’ manager before resigning for his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Maybe the New York Mets are better off not hiring Carlos Beltrán
No, this has nothing to do with the Astros’ scandal. As far as we’re concerned, Beltrán paid the price when he stepped down as the Mets’ manager ahead of his first spring training.
We’re in an ugly time for ex-players who are either managing or holding significant power with their former teams. Buster Posey’s time as the Giants’ lead baseball executive has been a complete disaster, though he and manager Tony Vitello are all but guaranteed to return next year. Mariners manager Dan Wilson, who is enshrined in the team’s Hall of Fame, is on the hot seat despite last year’s ALCS appearance.
That’s not to say that managing the team you previously played on is always doomed to fail. Look no further than the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts, who is well on pace to eventually enter the Hall of Fame. Aaron Boone has led the Yankees to eight postseason appearances in nine seasons, and Kevin Cash — an ex-Rays catcher in the 2000s — always has Tampa Bay in the playoff picture despite its budget and stadium problems.
But things always feel different when a team hires someone with deep roots to the organization. We’ve openly argued that Posey is likely safe through the end of 2028 if he’s elected to the Hall of Fame this coming winter. Imagine the awkwardness if the Giants fired Posey only weeks after — or worse, before — a potential ceremony in Cooperstown.
Ross and Baldelli both objectively make sense, as does ex-Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. But we’re still expecting to see Beltran holding his No. 15 during a November introductory press conference.
And if Mets fans needed another reason to root for Beltran, the perennial All-Star recently called out Phillies legend Chase Utley as a “dirty” player. There’s no better way to ensure you’ll earn a standing ovation at Citi Field next April 2 — assuming, of course, that the Mets even have a home opener.
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