Carlos Beltran isn’t hiding the fact that managing is still on his mind.
As he goes through Hall of Fame induction week, the Mets legend said Monday that a dugout future remains something he wants to pursue. Beltran, who was hired to manage the Mets in November 2019 before stepping down in January 2020 without ever managing a game, called the opportunity something he still hopes to chase.
“Having the opportunity to manage, it’s on my bucket list,” Beltran said during his Hall of Fame press conference on Monday. “I understand my name has been mentioned about being a manager, and I’m proud of that…just the thought that people think I can manage a major league ball club, I take that very positively, but at the same time I have to think deeply about what my next step is going to be.”
Beltran’s path back into the organization has already taken a few turns. After leaving the manager’s job when his involvement as a player in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal came to light, he returned to the Mets in the winter of 2023 as a special assistant to general manager Billy Eppler. He now serves as a special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns.
The possibility of Beltran taking over after Carlos Mendoza was fired on June 26 also came up, and Beltran said he spoke with the front office about it. In the end, he decided it wasn’t the right move.
“I had conversations with a few people within the organization, and I don’t know, I just didn’t feel it was the right thing for me to do,” Beltran said.
Beltran, 49, has never managed at either the major league or minor league level. His Mets legacy will keep growing this year, though. He played for the team from 2005-2011, will be inducted as a Met into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday, and in September he will enter the Mets Hall of Fame and have his No. 15 retired.
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Among the names being floated is Tyrone Taylor, whose profile gives Philadelphia a different kind of look than some of the other rental bats out there. Lane Thomas of the Royals is also in the mix, and the comparison matters because the Phillies are weighing affordability, fit and whether they want a player with more on-base value or more pop as they try to improve the roster without creating another problem elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]