By Tim Ryder
It’s time for the New York Mets to welcome Carlos Beltran back home.
According to Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com, the longtime Mets centerfielder admitted that he’d “have to listen” if the Mets contacted him regarding their vacant managerial position.
Kindly get on that, Brodie & Co. Please and thank you.
Putting Beltran’s inexperience aside is a tall task considering Joe Girardi‘s name has loomed large over the job since late-summer, but his reputation as a baseball savant precedes him.
Beltran came to be known as a key veteran presence during the latter years of his career with the Yankees and, in particular, the Houston Astros, with whom he captured his first and only World Series title in his 20th and final MLB season.
Earlier this season, his former bench coach in Houston and current Boston Red Sox skipper, Alex Cora, bestowed high praise on his former clubhouse-mate Beltran, currently an advisor to Brian Cashman in The Bronx.
After a sweep at the hands of the Yanks in June (New York’s offensive explosion in London), Cora acknowledged the edge Beltran brings to the table, referring to him as the Yankees’ “biggest free-agent acquisition” of the offseason.
“I know how [Beltran] works. He’s helped them a lot. They’re very into details,” Cora told the New York Post. “This weekend […] we tipped pitches. Sequence, everything. That’s what I’m saying. I know Carlos. That was a great addition to their staff over there.”
With all due respect to the likely half-dozen, more than qualified candidates that have been floated as potential replacements for the cast-off Mickey Callaway, Carlos Beltran would be a great addition to this staff, as well.
The Mets have already stated publicly that they’d like to retain the services of hitting coach Chili Davis and pitching coach Phil Regan, both of whom found success in Queens this past season. A well-seasoned support system would theoretically already be in place.
Heck, Beltran’s got more than enough history in this town. A chance to add some luster to that legacy couldn’t hurt, either.
See, there are some pockets of the fan base that, let’s say, underappreciate Beltran’s time in New York. That’s a poor characterization, but it most certainly exists.
During his seven seasons in Queens, Beltran put together a .280/.369/.500 slash line with a 127 wRC+, five all-star appearances, and four Gold Glove awards.
Sure, he struck out to end the Mets’ Game 7, ninth-inning rally in the 2006 NLCS. But, come on, folks — get over it. This guy carried this team at times, and the Mets wouldn’t have been in the position they were from 2006 t0 2008 without Beltran.
There’s no arguing his on-field merits, here or anywhere else he played.
As for his much-ballyhooed knee surgery in 2010 — allegedly performed against the Mets’ wishes — Beltran appears to view that as background noise. He’s choosing to instead focus on the good times.
“I had my best years with the New York Mets,” Beltran said. “If people have that perspective, that’s the perspective of the fan base. I established great friendships and great relationships when I was with [the Mets].”
“I can’t say my time with the Mets was bad… If I were to get into the Hall of Fame, I have to consider the Mets as the team [for the plaque].”
Regarding his willingness to return to Queens, Beltran told Alonso, “You can’t rule anything out in life. You can’t live life thinking about the past. You have to live in the present”.
For the New York Mets, the present looks better than most imagined it would at this point, and the future seems to have arrived ahead of schedule.
In his heartfelt, total-class, departing statement to the media, Mickey Callaway made one statement that stood out, specifically.
“Many players got better, our team improved, and the Mets are in a better spot today to be a World Series contender.”
For all of his knocks, Callaway’s 100 percent correct on this one. How much credit he deserves for the developmental leaps this team took as a group in 2019 is debatable, but it’s still a true statement.
Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Amed Rosario, and J.D. Davis will provide the Mets with a formidable — and inexpensive (for now) — positional core for a while.
Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, and Steven Matz are as talented a top-four as you’ll find in the National League.
Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman, Edwin Diaz, and Jeurys Familia will have the opportunity to rebound as a group next season.
With any reinforcements Van Wagenen brings in, the Mets could evolve into a powerhouse. They’re not all that far off, which makes this an attractive job for potential hires.
Whether the team decides to go outside the box, as Van Wagenen alluded to, with Beltran, Mets quality control coach, Luis Rojas, or Astros bench coach Joe Espada, or spend the extra few bucks for the proven leadership Girardi would hypothetically bring, is something that will be determined in short order.
But the relatability that the recently-retired Beltran would provide for this young core, along with the insight of 20-plus years of professional baseball experience he’d bring to in-game situations, makes him seem like a perfect fit for this ball club.
There’s too much still on the docket this offseason for the Mets to drag their feet on selecting a manager. If Carlos Beltran wants to come home, go unlock the door and let him in.
