Around this time of the year, but in 2019, Carlos Beltran was supposed to take over as the manager of the New York Mets. He was a well-respected veteran fresh off retirement two seasons ago, in 2017. He had played with the Mets and was seen as a passionate baseball man. Still is, to be fair.
However, the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal came to prominence, and executive Jeff Lunhow and manager AJ Hinch were suspended for their roles. MLB fined the team and took away a couple of draft picks. As it turns out, Beltran was heavily involved in the scheme, which took place in 2017 (his last playing season.)
The New York Mets decided to part ways with Beltran and replaced him with Luis Rojas. However, Darrly Strawberry, a man who believes in second chances himself, has Beltran’s back.
Strawberry, who also played with the Mets and Yankees like Beltran, believes that the latter deserves another chance in baseball. He said that during an appearance Thursday on WFAN’s “Moose and Maggie Show.”
The Mets elected to look elsewhere after the scandal
“Carlos is a wonderful guy. Everybody makes mistakes and falls short in some areas, but I think he deserves another chance, no question about it. I thought the Mets should have stuck with him, and looked at who he is as a person. … He’s a wonderful guy, a wonderful player, and a wonderful student of the game. He will help so many young players learn how to play at the highest level, because that’s where he played.”
Beltran was one of the league’s premier outfielder in the mid-to-late 2000s. He played there from 2005 to 2011, and performed admirably as a player.
He was the man chosen by the Wilpons to manage the Mets this past season, but the sign-stealing scandal aftermath was too much to handle for the former owners.