The Mets’ managerial search for 2027 may already have a familiar name at the top of the list, but Carlos Beltran wasn’t available when the team needed a quick fix in-season.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Mets reached out to Beltran after firing Carlos Mendoza, but Beltran passed because of his Hall of Fame commitments this summer. Andy Green ended up taking over as the interim manager, but he was not New York’s first option.
“The New York Mets have yet to conduct a managerial search for the 2027 season, but their first choice appears to be Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran,” Nightengale reports. “They actually expressed interest in having him take over after the firing of Carlos Mendoza. Yet, he passed with his Hall of Fame commitments this summer...”
Beltran, who spent most of his 20-year career with the Mets and Kansas City Royals, was set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this summer alongside Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent. That timing made a midseason return to the Mets a nonstarter.
The 49-year-old also has history with the job. He was previously hired as Mets manager before stepping down amid the Houston Astros cheating scandal. Now, after some time away and with his Hall of Fame induction approaching, he’s back in the conversation as a real possibility for the future.
For now, though, Beltran chose the Hall over a rushed return to a Mets team in the middle of a season that had already gone off the rails. Nightengale’s reporting suggests he could still be the leading candidate once the club moves deeper into its next managerial search.
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Taylor Ward has been part of that conversation because he has still produced enough to draw interest, even with a .748 OPS and an AL-leading walk total that speaks to how often he reaches base. The catch for Atlanta is that the bat has not quite matched last years power, and if Baltimore decides Ward is more useful to keep around than to shop, one of the more logical deadline fits could disappear before the Braves ever get a real shot at him. [Read more 🡒]