Mets bungle Beltran’s ousting
Carlos Beltran wanted to stay, pleaded to stay, and told the Mets he could handle the torrent waves of scrutiny headed his way.
Sorry, but the Mets couldn’t take the heat.
On Thursday morning, the club succumbed to outside pressure, firing Beltran before he managed a single game.
Just like that, an absolutely wild week in MLB claimed another victim.
Three managers and a general manager have been fired, three franchises have been damaged, all entangled in a cheating scandal that has rocked the baseball world.
The latest chapter involved a team that wasn’t even cheating, but the Mets (in typical fashion) wanted to free themselves as quickly as possible from the tidal wave of scorn.
The Mets could have stood behind Beltran and argued that he was simply part of the mob mentality in Houston.
Players under investigation during the Astros’ cheating scandal were offered immunity, so he wasn’t going to be suspended.
Beltran argued he could handle it. He wanted to apologize in a news conference. He spent 20 years in the game of baseball and told the Mets’ ownership and front office he had plenty of experience persevering through storms.
The Mets deliberated for days, met late into the evening Wednesday and finally on Thursday morning delivered the news that Beltran was out.
They softened the blow by saying
the parties “agreed to mutually part ways,” negotiated a severance package, and permitted Beltran to issue his own statement.
“Over my 20 years in the game, I’ve always taken pride in being a leader and doing things the right way,” Beltran said, “and in this situation I failed. As a veteran player on the team I should have 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 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.”
Just like that, Beltran is gone, before he ever started.
Beltran is the first manager fired before managing a game since Wally Backman was hired by the Diamondbacks in 2004 and fired four days later when legal woes emerged.
“This was not an easy decision,” the Mets said in a release. “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, eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2023 and who was going to be the first Latino manager in New York history, hopes to return to baseball – but will he? Will anyone let him?
Who knows if anyone involved in this cheating scandal will ever be back in baseball, at least in a prominent position?
Alex Cora, who plans to return to Puerto Rico on Saturday, privately has his doubts on his baseball future, considering he now is also under investigation for cheating in 2018 while he was with the Red Sox as manager.
Former Astros manager A.J. Hinch remains hopeful, saying his biggest sin was not stopping his players from cheating. Former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is trying to protect his reputation by saying he was completely unaware of his team’s actions.
Maybe time will help restore their credibility, particularly when more whistle-blowers surface to bring down more offenders.
Let’s be honest, the Red Sox weren’t going to fire Cora if he wasn’t under investigation and told a lengthy suspension was coming.
The Astros weren’t going to fire Hinch if he wasn’t already suspended a year, knowing that MLB encouraged a greater punishment.
But the Mets had a choice.
They could have saved Beltran. Instead, they folded.
And they won’t be the last.