Retiring Beltran might not be on Cashman’s radar
ORLANDO, Fla. — Brian Cashman holds great respect for Carlos Beltran. Cashman is not averse to the idea of hiring a manager who has just completed life as a player.
Will A plus B equal Beltran getting a bona fide chance in the Yankees’ manager sweepstakes? The early indication is Beltran ranks as a long shot. However, the Yankees’ general manager, following the policy he established in light of dismissing Joe Girardi, declined to rule out such a possibility.
“I know he has aspirations to manage,” Cashman said of Beltran, who announced his retirement Monday on former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter’s website, the Players’ Tribune. “I’m not going to talk about who are potential candidates until we present the candidates to the media conference calls after those go through. But anyway, he’s had a great career. Someone I respect a great deal. His time with us was a benefit. You’re looking at a future Hall of Famer there.
“But I am aware of his interest as a future manager. I’ll leave it at that right now.”
On Monday, Beltran told MLB.com: “Not taking anything away from any other organization, but the Yankees are a team that anyone would love to put on that uniform and manage that ball club.”
Beltran, 40, just finished a 20-year career that should get him inducted into the Hall of Fame by winning his first World Series title. He served as a designated hitter on the Astros.
“He is certainly one of the brightest minds I have come across in the game,” Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said. “I haven’t talked to him about his intentions, but he would be a tremendous asset to an organization in any area in which he decided to contribute.”
Newly crowned American League Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge cited a memory from 2016 spring training, when he spent time with Beltran, as an example of how he benefited from the then-outfielder’s experience.
“There was a moment we were doing relay throws on a back field [at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa],” Judge said on a conference call. “I asked him, ‘ How has it been for you with the ups and downs of the game?’ He said, ‘ You could be hot for the first couple of months or bad for the first couple of months. It’s going to even out. You should stay as even-keeled as possible.’
“To hear that from a veteran baseball presence like that was pretty cool to hear.” And it served Judge well during his rollercoaster season.