NEW YORK — Carlos Beltrán has stepped away from his duties as the manager of the New York Mets. The departure comes days after Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred released a report concerning the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal that followed with the firing of Astros manager AJ Hinch and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
On Nov. 1, Beltrán became the first Latino manager in Mets history and will now resign without managing a single game for the Mets. Beltrán is the second Puerto Rican manager behind Cora to lose his managerial job due to the scandal.
The 42-year-old was a player for the Astros in his final season in the league in 2017, the year Houston won their first World Series in team history. Beltán managed a .231 average with 14 home runs, 51 RBI and a .666 OPS in 2017. He is the only player noted in the commissioner’s report and faced scrutiny and pressure from many around the league and the media to step down from his position.
Beltrán and the New York Mets released a statement regarding the release:
Statement from Carlos Beltrán. pic.twitter.com/gv9NNIzoQd
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 16, 2020
“He knew it was the right thing (to do), so the Mets can move forward,” ESPN analyst and former major league player Eduardo Pérez said concerning the ordeal. “It’s unfortunate for Carlos Beltrán. This was a dream of his, to be able to manage, also represent the island of Puerto Rico and represent the school, the Carlos Beltrán academy in Puerto Rico, a school that he has built from the ground up.”
Three teams are without managers as pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. The scandal is now dated to be MLB’s most rigorous scandal, resulting in punishments and fines for those involved. The Astros move forward without a general manager and manager, they’ve been stripped of their first and second round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Draft and have received a $5 million fine.
Pérez, who was considered by the Mets for the vacant managerial position following the 2019 season, is someone the media speculates can be re-evaluated as the Mets skipper. The Mets can also look within their own organization for someone to lead the 86-win team in a newly heightened National League East division.
