Beltran out as manager of Mets
Carlos Beltran’s 2½month tenure as the Mets’ manager ended Thursday before he spent a single game on the bench, the latest fallout from the Houston Astros’ signstealing scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball.
The Mets announced the decision in a news release, saying Beltran and the team “agreed to mutually part ways.” The move came two days after Boston cut ties with manager Alex Cora, who was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 when Beltran played for the Astros.
A day before that, manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired by Houston soon after they were suspended for the 2020 season by Commissioner Rob Manfred for their roles in the cheating scheme.
Next to fall was Beltran, the only Astros player mentioned by name Monday when MLB issued its findings from an investigation into the club’s conduct. No players were disciplined, but the ninepage report said Beltran was among the group involved in the team’s illicit use of electronics to pilfer signs during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series championship.
“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,” Beltran, 42, said in a statement issued through agent Dan Lozano.
Beltran, with no managerial experience, was hired to replace Mickey Callaway as Mets manager on Nov. 1.
Springer, Astros agree: Houston center fielder George Springer, the World Series MVP in 2017, and the team settled on a $21 million, oneyear contract. Springer had asked for $22.5 million in salary arbitration last week and the Astros offered $17.5 million. He made $12.2 million last year.
Springer, 30, set career highs last season with 39 home runs with 96 RBIs while batting .292. He was an AllStar for the third straight season.