New York: Alex Cora is the latest casualty of this cheating scheme scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball and the world of sports. The Red Sox and Cora, who guided the team to a World Series title in 2018, have parted ways.
Cora was implicated as the bench coach of the Houston Astros 2017 World Series championship team which has backfired and put a black eye on the sport.
Who is next? Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch might challenge their terminations in court, if neither Hinch nor Luhnow participated in the scheme to steal catchers’ signs from opposing teams.
They were released from their positions Monday after the investigation was completed by MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Is Mets’ manager Carlos Beltran next? He is a culprit, and according to Major League baseball was a key principal in convincing Hinch and the Astros to go with the scheme in his last year as an active Major League ballplayer.
The Mets have not released a statement about their new manager regarding his role with the Astros’ scheme of stealing catchers’ signs from opposing teams.
But all of this may not apply to Carlos Beltran. He, for now, is still the manager of the Mets. And he is expected to write out the lineup card come Opening Day at Citi Field, March 26th.
Now, though, with the termination of Cora, Carlos Beltran may be next in line. Though the Mets have not issued a statement as of Tuesday, and Beltran has been quiet, there may be pressure on Beltran to offer his side of the story.
When contacted by Latino Sports, Mets officials could not be reached for comment. The prevailing opinion is the Mets could be preparing to make a statement about their manager.
Beltran signed a three-year contract last month and was introduced before a packed media presence at Citi Field.
So, Carlos Beltran is guilty, that was evident from the report as his name was mentioned. So are dozens of others among the 2017 Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox players involved with the sign-stealing situation that has rocked Major League Baseball.
He was instrumental in discussing the scheme to stealing signs from the opposing pitcher that was attributed to technology.
Yes, technology is the culprit. So is Beltran and Alex Cora. Hinch, in the meantime, lost his job. He said in October that his team stealing signs via technology and dugout garbage can banging as signals was a joke.
However, the findings and determination of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Assessing discipline of players for this type of conduct is both difficult and impractical.”
Mandfred added, “I am not in position based on the investigative record to determine with any degree of certainty every player who should be held accountable.”
That statement, though, applies to Beltran. His final year as a player resulted in his first World Series ring, a championship that is now tarnished along with the Black Sox, Pete Rose, and steroid scandals that have become a part of baseball annals.
The Mets are not commenting about the status of Beltran, and his role in all of this. We could get a statement Thursday morning in Port. St. Lucie, Florida from CEO Jeff Wilpon and GM Brodie Van Wagenen. They are scheduled to officially announce a change to the name of the Mets’ spring training complex.
They could avoid the questions. They could provide some closure. But the best closure is to hear from Carlos Beltran. Do it now, tomorrow, next week. Don’t let this drag in four weeks when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
The last thing the Mets need, and with a choice of the GM, is a former and popular New York player to let this linger another day.
And we all need to know, is Carlos Beltran in good standing with the Mets’ hierarchy?
He should be safe, though Beltran is a main culprit, who reportedly had major input in this scheme. He has to face the music and those will say confront the similar circumstances of Hinch and Alex Cora.
Time for Carlos Beltran to step up to the plate. The Mets fan base and the game are awaiting his word.
And until we hear from Beltran, there is no closure. Unless the Mets are contemplating their next move, and Carlos Beltran is the next casualty of this baseball scandal there won’t be closure.
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