Mets hire Rojas to replace sacked Beltran
NEW YORK: The New York Mets are set to name Luis Rojas as the club’s new manager following the departure of Carlos Beltran, team chief Brodie Van Wagenen said on Wednesday.
Beltran stepped down from his position last week after being implicated in Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2017.
Beltran had only been hired in November and was the fourth team official to lose his job over the Astros scandal.
On Wednesday, general manager Van Wagenen said the team had all but finalised a multi-year deal to replace Beltran with Rojas, who was part of the Mets backroom staff last season.
“Luis earned this job,” Van Wagenen said on the Mets website. “He has literally trained his whole life to be a manager.
“He comes from a legacy family. He is respected by the players. He is trusted by the players. And he’s someone that we have great confidence in — [with] his ability to lead our team now, and his ability to put our players, and put us, in the best position to succeed.”
Rojas had already been interviewed for the Mets job last year before the organisation opted to appoint Beltran.
“The short version is he’s very, very well-qualified, and we anticipate him to be a great addition to our team,” Van Wagenen said.
“We think that he has the ability to be consistent, to be calm under pressure and to understand the opportunity that this team has as we head into 2020.”
As well as serving as quality control coach with the Mets last season, Rojas has coached several of the team’s minor league franchises during a 13-year association with the club.
His appointment received the stamp of approval from star slugger Pete Alonso, who played minor league baseball under Rojas, and pitcher Marcus Stroman on Wednesday.