The Mets must fight their greatest Carlos Beltrán temptation

Are the New York Mets about to trade one Carlos for another? Not immediately, at least. Speculation is already mounting that the Mets, who fired manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday, will target Hall of Fame outfielder Carlos Beltrán this offseason. Interim manager Andy Green lost his debut Friday night, and the team previously confirmed that he’ll return to the front office upon season’s end.

Beltrán, who played for the Mets from 2005-11, has never managed a regular-season game. The Mets hired him following the 2019 season, but he stepped down before spring training because of his role in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal. As tempting as a reunion might be, the Mets must fight their instincts and pass on hiring Beltrán.

Carlos Beltrán is too risky a hire for the moribund Mets

Beltrán has long been a savvy baseball mind, and he drew rave reviews for his leadership late in his career. There’s a reason why the Mets named him their manager only two years after his retirement. Even the Wilpon family saw enough in Beltrán to take the chance on him.

With that said, look no further than what’s going on with Buster Posey in San Francisco. The sentimental hires and reunions, at least in Major League Baseball, almost never work out and often create incredibly awkward scenarios when changes are made.

Red Sox legend Jason Varitek served on Boston’s coaching staff as a game-planning coordinator and catching coach for several years, only to be re-assigned following Alex Cora’s dismissal in April. Yogi Berra wanted nothing to do with the Yankees for nearly 15 years after George Steinbrenner fired him in 1985.

Clearly, Steve Cohen and the Mets’ ownership group love Beltrán enough that they’ll be retiring his number and inducting him into their Hall of Fame later this year. We must note that Cohen hadn’t yet bought the Mets during Beltrán’s brief managerial stint.

We referenced Posey, and it’s important to note that he is the Giants’ lead baseball executive, whereas Beltrán would only be the manager. But what happens if the Mets are terrible in 2027 and 2028? They’re already a rudderless ship doomed by poor pitching and defense. Francisco Lindor has repeatedly proven that he cannot elevate the Mets from a leadership perspective, no matter how often he publicly begs to be a captain.

Asking Beltrán to take on that load as a rookie manager would be unfair, and he’d be positioned to fail from the jump. Lofty payrolls only mean so much for an organization in desperate need of a full reboot.

Don’t be surprised to see fans and pundits suggest other former Mets stars as either the next manager or president of baseball operations. We’re probably not far from the first column about David Wright being a perfect fit for lead baseball executive. What are Mike Piazza and Tom Glavine up to these days?

Who should the Mets hire to replace Carlos Mendoza?

Assuming that the Mets don’t hire Beltrán, here are some options Cohen and David Stearns must speak to within the coming months:

• Alex Cora, who himself played for the Mets, is an accomplished World Series-winning manager. We’ll see whether the Phillies make a play for him, given his familiarity with Dave Dombrowski.
• The Tigers’ AJ Hinch and the Astros’ Joe Espada are intriguing candidates if their teams opt to move on. Ironically, Hinch was Beltrán’s manager during the Astros sign-stealing scandal.
• Longtime Cleveland Guardians assistant coach Sandy Alomar Jr. went 28-18 as the de facto interim manager in 2020 following Terry Francona’s heart surgery. Alomar would be a shocking pick, but he’s more than deserving of an opportunity. It’d be fitting, though, seeing as Alomar ended his playing career with the Mets in 2007. 

Who do you believe the Mets should hire as their next manager? Let us know in the comments!

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