The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Source: Mets to hire Beltran as manager
NEW YORK — Carlos Beltran, two years removed from his playing career and with no managerial experience, has been picked by the New York Mets to replace Mickey Callaway.
A person familiar with the Mets’ decision told The Associated Press about it Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not made an announcement.
A ninetime AllStar during 20 major league seasons, Beltran played for the Mets from 200511.
He interviewed to become New York Yankees manager after the 2017 season, when Aaron Boone was hired, and spent this season as an adviser to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
“At the beginning it’s a little bit overwhelming. There’s a lot of information that you have to digest,” Beltran said after he was interviewed by the Yankees two years ago. “Being a player and being able to play this game for such a long time, I have seen a lot, and I have seen the importance of what players need in the clubhouse.”
The 42yearold Beltran becomes the first minority to fill one of the eight major league manager vacancies this offseason. Those jobs filled are: the Chicago Cubs (David Ross), Kansas City (Mike Matheny), the Los Angeles Angels (Joe Maddon), Philadelphia (Joe Girardi) and San Diego (Jayce Tingler). Pittsburgh and San Francisco remain open.
Callaway was hired by thengeneral manager Sandy Alderson and led New York to a disappointing 7785 record in his first season. Brodie Van Wagenen replaced Alderson as GM and proclaimed the Mets favorite to win the NL East. But New York fell to 4151 with a loss in its first game following the AllStar break and could climb only to the periphery of the wildcard race before finishing 8676, third in the division behind Philadelphia and World Series champion Washington.
Beltran will be the fourth of the current managers born in Puerto Rico, joining Boston’s Alex Cora, Toronto’s Charlie Montoyo and Washington’s Dave Martinez.
He signed a $119 million, sevenyear contract with the Mets in January 2005 and helped them win the NL East in 2006, but he took a called third strike with the bases loaded against Adam Wainwright, ending New York’s 31 loss to St. Louis in Game 7 of the 2006 NL Championship Series.
Beltran got into a flap with Mets management in January 2010 when he had surgery on his right knee without their approval. Beltran went to Colorado to be examined by Dr. Richard Steadman, who operated. Assistant general manager John Ricco said at the time the team wanted to discuss Steadman’s diagnosis and possibly seek a third opinion but was never given the opportunity.
With New York out of contention in 2011, the Mets traded Beltran to San Francisco that July for pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Beltran finished with a .279 average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBIs and 312 stolen bases for Kansas City (199804), Houston (2004, 2017), the Mets (200511), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (201213), the Yankees (201416) and Texas (2016).