The Mets have identified six candidates—Buck Showalter (seen as the early favorite), Brad Ausmus, Joe Espada, Don Kelly, Matt Quatraro and Bob Geren—for their vacant manager seat with interviews being conducted this week. Carlos Beltran’s name, however, is conspicuously absent from that list. Beltran was initially hired as Mets manager in November of 2019, but left after only two months on the job, resigning due to his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal.
Alex Cora and A.J. Hinch, who were similarly implicated in Houston’s elaborate sign-stealing scheme, both resurfaced in 2021, assuming roles with the Red Sox and Tigers, respectively. Beltran, meanwhile, has yet to land on his feet, seemingly blackballed from a sport he dominated for the better part of two decades (nine All-Star appearances, three Gold Gloves and a World Series ring in 2017).
Beltran, who spent ten of his 20 MLB seasons in New York (seven with the Mets and three as a Yankee), does not appear to be in consideration for the Mets’ job this time despite fans and players—including veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin—clamoring for owner Steve Cohen to give the 44-year-old a second chance.
Those familiar with Cohen’s thinking feel he’s more inclined to hire someone with experience, though that doesn’t make Beltran’s continued exile from MLB, failing to garner so much as an interview despite recent managerial openings in San Diego, Oakland, St. Louis and now New York, any less of a mystery. Hinch and Cora having jobs while Beltran remains in coaching purgatory just doesn’t compute.
Maybe there’s a perception Beltran wasn’t qualified for the Mets gig to begin with. Hinch and Cora both have proven track records as successful skippers, which likely made hiring them more palatable than taking the plunge on a newbie like Beltran. But if experience is what’s holding him back, how can Beltran break what has become a vicious cycle?
Maybin’s belief in Beltran obviously doesn’t carry as much weight as Max Scherzer’s recent endorsement of Showalter, his preferred choice to succeed Luis Rojas as Mets manager. But clearly there’s a segment of the population that feels he got a raw deal, boxed out of a sport that inexplicably welcomed Cora and Hinch back with open arms.
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