In 2011 when Carlos Beltran was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Zack Wheeler, you had to assume that was the last the Mets would ever see of the best center fielder in team history. After all, there was the fight over his knee surgery as well as the negative public statements Fred Wilpon made about his star player.
However, time heals all wounds, and according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, Beltran is a “very serious candidate for Mets manager.”
As Heyman notes, Beltran’s candidacy is certainly aided by the presence of Allard Baird and Omar Minaya. Baird was a minor league coach when Beltran was drafted by the Royals in the second round of the 1995 draft, and he was the team’s General Manager when Beltran made his Major League debut. As Mets fans know, Minaya was the General Manager who gave Beltran what was then a team record contract.
While not noted by Heyman, it also helps Beltran’s case that David Wright is a part of the front office. Notably, Beltran took Wright and Jose Reyes under his wing when he first joined the Mets, and the two players have always had mutual respect for one another.
When breaking things down, Beltran is one of only four people who are currently set to receive an in-person interview with the Mets. While he is the only one without any managerial experience at any level, he is the only one who has both dealt with the New York press and has a previous relationship with ownership.
