The Mets should definitely keep Carlos Beltran as their manager for the coming season.
The Mets should definitely replace Carlos Beltran as their manager for the coming season.
Major League Baseball did not suspend any of the Astros players for electronic sign-stealing.
Major League Baseball singled out Beltran among all players as part of its report on electronic sign-stealing.
The steps the Astros and Red Sox took to dismiss their managers have no impact on what the Mets do.
After A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora took a hit, the Mets can’t ignore Carlos Beltran’s rather obvious role in this episode.
“We believed in Carlos when we went through a rigorous interview process, and he is still that same person we hired,” the Mets said in an official statement
”More information has come to light making our initial choice untenable,” the Mets said in an official statement.
“Certainly we will face questions as Spring Training begins and the season follows,” one Met source said, “but the near-term distraction will fade as Carlos settles in and the team benefits from his leadership.”
“This is something we don’t need,” one Met source said. “Beltran was already something of an unknown quantity, given his lack of experience, and the questions he’ll face will only add pressure.”
Beltran made a mistake, has owned up to it, and we should all simply move on.
You can’t put a guy at the center of a cheating scandal out front as the representative of your franchise.
Beltran’s career shouldn’t be defined by this episode. He has a long and distinguished record in baseball, and it’s not fair to derail his future as a manager before it even starts.
Beltran can’t be handed this kind of responsibility under this kind of cloud.
Overall, it hasn’t been easy coming to these conclusions. You could just as easily look at it an entirely different way.
Overall, it hasn’t been easy coming to these conclusions. You could just as easily look at it an entirely different way.
UPDATE: We now know Carlos Beltran is out.
Props for quoting “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).”
I think I have to rescind the past comment “Jeffy and Brodie could have done worse.”
Get thee to a nunnery!
I wish it wasn’t so Metsian, but it really is. Sadly, if Carlos did play a key role in 2017, he should probably be let go. The crime isn’t what he did so much, it’s that he tarnished the integrity of the game. Had the Astros not won the series I might feel differently, but it is what it is, and mostly is is very sad.
My thoughts exactly.
My thoughts exactly.
I have a somewhat different thought about this. It appears he was dishonest with the press when the story surfaced. It is also clear he was immediately very forthcoming with MLB about his involvement. Let’s hope he was transparent with the Mets when MLB did their investigating.
It seems to me the media has their collective nose out of joint because he was less than honest with them. How many times has a baseball player OR manager been less than honest with the media? How about a football head coach, like Belicheck? Why would these people give the media ANYTHING?
I would love to see a press conference where Beltran states,
“I was honest with MLB, I’ve been honest with the organization. Did I mislead the press? Yes. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last. Let’s move on.”
I too am having a Hamlet moment regarding whether Beltran should remain (or not to remain). But as an a aside, please spare me the piety of Mark Teixiera and CC Sabathia, both of whom won a World Championship with a the most notorious steroid cheater of all time. And MLB should get thee to the Hypocrisy Hall of Fame for featuring the same steroid cheater in their showcase properties.
I made a comment here about Teixiera yesterday that was rejected, and rightfully so. I’m actually sorry that I have to make Greg and Jason take the time to monitor my silliness.
But I want to mention that the objectionable term I used to describe Teixiera in that comment was also used in a different comment on a different site to describe Eva Moskowitz, and that slipped past that goalie.
Colossal Caboose I couldn’t care less about. Teixiera I have no respect for whatsoever.
As a Fan, I’m completely disgusted with the situation. Beltran was singled out by MLB as the player who worked closely with Cora to orchestrate the cheating scheme in Houston. His & the Astros’ cheating will overshadow every move he makes. It’d be better in the long run if the Mets let him go.
Funny how technology, and a more enlightened society, changes things.
What used to be considered a hard hit in football is now a targeting penalty, as is hitting a defenseless player.
Perhaps in 5 years, this kind of sign stealing will be considered legit, as you can’t put the jeannie back in the bottle.
When Perot ran for President, Tom Brokaw would not allow him to mention his website during a debate. Now it is ok.
The steroids guys were signed and re-signed, as if nothing ever happened. But they fooled with the integrity of the game as well, probably more egregious than these folks did.
If Carlos had stolen a sign from Adam Wainwright in 2006 and hit it out of the park, would we have been OK with that? (Deep, rhetorical question.)
Oh, God couldn’t have hit that curveball.
Beltran handled his mea culpa admirably.
Onward to spring training with a skipper to be named later.
Remember the good old days when we thought Cespedes breaking his ankle wrestling with a wild boar was the most Mets story ever? Good times.
Now as the countdown to pitchers and catchers dwindles down, the players have no idea who their manager will be, don’t know if their new coaches who signed up to work with Beltran will stay…what about Betances, who said his respect for Beltran was why he signed with the Mets? Will he still want to be here?
So many seasons have started at the “oy vey” level. 2020 is looking far more oy vey than most.
Living deep within the Phillies’ territory, I have been catching smack about this all afternoon and evening.
That said, the Mets and Beltran were really in a no-win situation here:
If he stayed on as manager, and the Mets got off to a hot start and continued to win (yeah!!!), then the stories would be that the Mets must be cheating. Conversely, if the Mets decided that the real games don’t start until the end of July (see 2015, 2019), the stories would be that Beltran cannot win without cheating.
Really, as much as I was looking forward to seeing what he could do, this was the only reasonable conclusion to this VERY METSIAN situation.
There is a silver lining to this. The Mets won’t go after […] Girardi. I hold to my prediction that Zack Wheeler will end up breaking his arm trying to break up a dugout fistfight between Girardi and Bryce Harper.
Edited by moderator for language.
Unfortunate all around, and a no-win for all involved too. Props to the Mets & Carlos for seeing the no-win for what it is and handling this quickly and maturely.
That said, I still can’t shake the feeling that we dodged a bullet here.
Am surprised that Brodie & Jeffy had the brains to dump Beltran now and not make things worse.
Perfectly written, Greg. My maybe/maybe not dialog in my head was somewhat like so:
GOOD RIDDANCE: “Don’t want another first time manager – perfect excuse to get rid of the guy”
BUT WAIT: “Everyone tries to steal signs – Beltran was smart enough to perfect the process. Pretty smart guy”
AND ALSO: “Beltran cleared by MLB. Their problem, not ours, screw them, stick with the guy”.
THEN AGAIN: “Beltran once pouted on the bench during a stadium cheer. How the hell is he going to handle this?”
STILL: “Guy probably lied on his interview, lied to the press, cheated on the highest level of the game and has to learn how to manage a baseball team during this mess”.
ALTHOUGH: “Still would be better than Callaway.”
Glad I don’t have to make decisions like these. Now can we have Bolgar?
Oh, year, and Texiera sucks. Go away.
Oh, thank you for the last line.
Ah, so what.
They’re still not going to hire Buck Showalter, who I was hoping for.
But Brodie will only hire some neophyte who he can push around.
Like a Hensley Muelens, for continuity’s sake, or a Luis Rojas, an analytics genius, and son of Felipe Alou.
You have to be in this espionage up to your eyeballs to be the only player named. Or made MLB angry (by demanding translators?). Or maybe the Wilpons are the real targets.
Real pity.
The scandal is what it is, to me may be a blessing in disguise for Schmets. Never liked the Beltran hire. Take a look at the roster, they just need someone competent enough to make important in-game decisions, let injuries and performance drive the development of a steady lineup so they can get in a groove, effectively manage the pitching staff and keep press relations distraction at a minimum.
On the pitching coach point, curious what happens now to the staff in place and most specifically Hefner. Last year they started with a highly respected pitching coach in Eiland and finished with what I thought was a pretty amazing job by Regan. May have been interesting to see what the team would do under two rookies provided they were as smart as Brodie decided they were, just seemed a bit too out of the box for this situation. Regardless of all of this I still think Brodie is their guy, again look at the roster and how he’s managed unfortunate cost overruns. Pretty excited that the biggest questions personnel-wise are which of the relievers step up (with a wider variety of options – and like that he didn’t panic and fire sale Diaz), can Cespedes stay healthy enough to unseat JD Davis in left, if back in form who Lowrie ends up spelling / unseating in the infield, who’s the defensive-minded backup catcher. Think about it, even if Alonso has issues they still have Dom.
Next man up!
Hate to admit it, but the Mets made the right move here. And frankly, I think MLB wimped out on the whole issue. The Astros should be forced to give up its Series title, and everyone on that team, from top management to the guy getting a cup of coffee that September, should be banned for life. (Not “Mejia life”, real life.) And the owners should be forced to sell the team for whatever money they can get for it. I mean, these guys cheated their way to a World Series victory. It doesn’t get more despicable than that. We’re in Shoeless Joe territory here. Come on, Manfred, stand for something, for crying out loud. And as much as I was a Beltran fan when he played here, he shouldn’t be managing here now. Here or anywhere else.
Now to something more important. Does Beltran officially qualify as a “ghost manager”, or is he disqualified due to having played here before? Inquiring minds want to know.
otg,
I object to the term “Shoeless Joe territory.” Chick Gandal or Eddie Chicotte, maybe. Charles Comiskey, absolutely.
Coincidentally, I happened to have an appointment with an ENT whose name was Rothstein. I didn’t resist the urge to ask if he followed baseball, and he replied with a spirited and detailed (within the confines of a medical visit) defense of Joe Jackson. We agreed that Comiskey was the real villain.
look , I dont want another first year guy again anyway!This scandal will hang over the MLB this season but please not over us!!
I have no problem with guys tying to get a competitive edge , but there is a line that needs to be drawn..
Whatever happens going forward Im sure the MLB will fuck it up they never could get out of there own way..
Chuck – fair enough. I was referring to the Black Sox by mentioning the most famous (if least culpable) subject of the scandal. Unfortunately, when people think of that incident, they think of Shoeless Joe Jackson, not Chick Gandil. And I have a feeling that when people remember the current scandal, they will probably think of Carlos Beltran before they think of A.J. Hinch or Alex Cora. Which is probably not totally fair to him, as it is not totally fair to Shoeless Joe. But that’s how it is. Jackson and Beltran were the biggest stars, and therefore had the biggest falls. And for the record, Joe Jackson was no angel. He may not have thrown games, but he took the bad guys’ money. They couldn’t banish the other players and make an exception for him. He made his own bed.
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