*Photo from USA Today*
The New York Mets announced that they have mutually parted ways with Carlos Beltran as manager, less than 3 months after he took the job. This decision comes after he was the only player of the 2017 Houston Astros named in commissioner Rob Manfred's report of the sign stealing accusations against them. Beltran never got the chance to manage a single game with the Mets, who now have to scramble for a new manager, as spring training starts in one month at the Mets facility in Port St Lucie, Florida. Manfred's report led to the suspensions and firings of Astros manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow.
Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and GM Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement that "We met with Carlos last night and again this morning and agreed to mutually part ways, this was not an easy decision. Considering the circumstances, it became clear to all parties that it was not in anyone's best interest for Carlos to move forward as manager of the New York Mets. We believe that Carlos was honest and forthcoming with us. We are confident that this will not be the final chapter in his baseball career. We remain excited about the talent on this team and are committed to reaching our goals of winning now and in the future." Beltran himself said in a statement that "I'm grateful to them for giving me the opportunity, but we agreed this decision is in the best interest of the team. I couldn't let myself be a distraction for the team. I wish the entire organization success in the future." According to Van Wagenen, the Mets were unaware of the situation regarding the Astros when they decided to hire Beltran.
In a separate statement, Beltran said that "Over my 20 years in the game, I've always taken pride in being a leader and doing things the right way, and in this situation, I failed, as a veteran player on the team, I should've recognized the severity of the issue and truly regret the actions that were taken. I am a man of faith and integrity and what took place did not demonstrate those characteristics that are so very important to me and my family. I'm very sorry. It's not who I am as a father, a husband, a teammate, and as an educator. The Mets organization and I mutually agreed to part ways, moving forward for the greater good with no further distractions. I hope that at some point in time, I'll have the opportunity to return to this game that I love so much."
Beltran is the 3rd manager now unemployed in the last week due to the publishing of the Astros investigation. AJ Hinch was fired by the Astros on Monday, and Alex Cora was fired by the Red Sox on Tuesday. Beltran played 7 of his 20 big league seasons in a Mets uniform. The last year of his career was with the 2017 Astros team. Some of the candidates in the race for Mets manager are Mets quality control coach Luis Rojas, team bench coach Hensley Meulens, and ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez.
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