QUEENS, NY — On the day his No. 15 went atop the facade at Citi Field, Carlos Beltran was noncommittal when asked whether he would shake the dust off that old number to wear as the New York Mets manager.
“Right now, I don’t have an answer for that,” Beltran said on Saturday when asked about whether he planned on interviewing for the soon-to-be-vacant role, which will be left open by interim manager Andy Green. “I think today I’m more worried about my speech and what I’ll say out there. But I always say that in my heart that if I stay relevant in the game and hopefully I continue to be around the baseball teams, I’ll think about that later on. I’m happy with what I’m doing with the Mets and having this job where I get to connect with the baseball players, connect with the coaches. Every day I’m around the team, I always go to Andy’s office, the coaches, players, sit down in the cage, upstairs. I like to be everywhere.”
Beltran, 49, is serving as a special assistant and advisor to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns — a position that allowed him to get back into baseball and put the smudge on his record in the past. He was the only player named in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, which led to his termination as Mets manager less than three months after his hiring in November of 2019.
Things have certainly changed for Beltran over the last seven years. He implored that he “loved” what he was doing in his current role, and that the rigors of managing every day would pull him away from his family and his philanthropic work in his native Puerto Rico.
However, he did add: “I’m not saying that I’m not willing to take that commitment.”
“While I’m doing this, I feel like I can continue to learn about the organization,” Beltran said. “When I was a player, I didn’t realize how many people really invested in an organization to be successful. When you’re a baseball player, you’re caught up in the clubhouse and don’t see anything else. Now, my vision has become wider because you’re dealing with a lot of people trying to add value to the organization. I’m trying to learn as much as I can from that.”
Beltran certainly has some vocal allies in the Mets’ ranks should he be considered by Stearns and club owner Steve Cohen for the job.
“If he wants it and he’s there, I believe that he’s going to succeed whenever he becomes manager, if he wants to be a manager,” star shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “If the organization feels like that’s the right fit for us, I’m sure he’s going to have to go through an interview process if he decides to pursue it, and if they feel like it’s going to be the best thing for the organization, I think he’s going to succeed at it. To be quite honest, he’s somebody that’s very respected. But to be a manager, it’s not about respect. It’s about knowing the game and making the right moves at the right time and connecting with players. I think he can do all of those.”
“I don’t think there’s a thing in the world he couldn’t do if he decided that’s what he wanted to do,” Green added. “He’s proven time and time again he’s going to be successful, but I would say that with the understanding that it’s really his character that would make him successful. It’s not just the baseball acumen. It’s who he is as a person, and I think we all have an immense amount of trust in him and appreciation for the way he served everybody and isn’t looking for fanfare.”
Coming away with the Mets’ managerial job would cap off a landmark year for the ex-center fielder, who spent parts of seven seasons in Queens from 2005-2011. Beltran was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame back in July, where he became the third-ever player to wear a Mets cap on his plaque. His daughter also began college at Columbia University just before Saturday’s festivities, during which Beltran became the ninth player to have his jersey number retired.
“We try to be grateful about the moment that we’re living in, and we try to be humble about it, too,” Beltran said. “…I’m grateful every day. That’s the word that I can use to describe the feeling that I have.”
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