Carlos Beltran is out, as the wake of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal claims him. Here are five candidates to be the next New York Mets’ manager.
The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal claimed two managers quickly, with AJ Hinch out as Astros’ skipper and Alex Cora parting ways with the Boston Red Sox. Carlos Beltran was strongly implicated as a player leader in the sign stealing operation, and after a day of speculation and nothing from the team he stepped down as manager of the New York Mets on Thursday.
Beltran was just hired in November, so he leaves his post before even overseeing a spring training workout. So the Mets being the Mets, they were the only team to lose a manager due to the Astros’ cheating scandal this week but not get a World Series ring out of it. But Beltran was sure to receive severe punishment as things were moving along, it’s just a matter of how long he would have been suspended.
Around a month out from the start or spring training, the Mets will now quickly enter a new search for a manager.
Here are five candidates to be the next manager of the New York Mets.
5. Eduardo Perez
The ESPN analyst interviewed for the Mets’ managerial job before coming in second to Beltran. So he’s a natural top candidate now, such as he may want to revisit the opportunity.
Points in Perez’s corner include being bilingual, his experience as a major league player, his time as a major league coach with the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros and his time managing in Puerto Rico. He knows the game, likely will be open to using analytics and can presumably communicate effectively with every player on the team.
If they liked Perez as much as it seems they did in the search that landed them Beltran, this doesn’t have to be hard for the Mets. But at the same time, they should undergo a full search for a new manager.