It sounds harsh. But it’s the right – and only – thing to do. The delay by the New York Mets makes no sense.
This isn’t about baseball or whether he’s a good guy or not. Simply, Carlos Beltran can’t be trusted. Hence, he can’t lead the Mets as their manager in 2020. Or ever, for that matter.
We all know that Beltran was a tremendous player and has some resume. We know Mets fans were thrilled to get a fan favorite to be their skipper this past offseason.
People are offering all kinds of reasons as to why he shouldn’t be fired by the Mets. No way, No, how, should he remain as manager.
https://twitter.com/ericwinters89/status/1217597545100324864
I’m not feeling the firing of Beltran at all. Yes lifelong Mets fan. And the irony of this is a pitcher dropped a dime and got this whole thing started. So do he give back his championship ring and his game checks??
— Derek B. Sheppard Sr (@BrooklynTarheel) January 15, 2020
In light of the cheating scandal in Houston that has shaken MLB America, throwing the Astros and Boston Red Sox in turmoil and costing two World Series-winning managers their gigs, there is no other choice.
The organization’s integrity is at stake. No suit at Citi Field should care if Beltran wasn’t among the punished after MLB’s investigation proved that the Astros stole signs from opponents in 2017, the year they happened to win that franchise’s first-ever World Series.
Back then, Beltran was a player, not a management type. Still, Beltran and Alex Cora – the now-fired Red Sox manager – were considered the masterminds behind this scandal to cheat the game, give their team an unfair advantage.
The Mets should take the same action the Red Sox did. It saw the commissioner’s scratching report and let Cora go ASAP.
Remember, Cora was at the helm of the Red Sox when they won their franchise-record 108 games and the 2018 World Series. They didn’t even wait for MLB to drop the bomb on their organization’s own cheating scandal for the 2018 season. That report should be coming soon.
Many believe Cora brought his stealing signs ways to Beantown, too.
Good for the Red Sox. They acted on the Houston info alone. Cora wasn’t fit to manage them anymore based off the league’s report.
Cora is a beloved, smart baseball man – a man under a lot of circumstances that would be worth standing by and fighting for.
But not when it comes to cheating. No one in the game should be spared for such actions.
What a disgraceful way to be let go 🤦🏽♂️ https://t.co/CbddAkBSjr
— The Shadow League (@ShadowLeague) January 13, 2020
That why the Astros fired both AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow after Baseball’s findings. MLB’s punishment was a one-year suspension. To his credit, owner Jim Crane wanted neither guy in his franchise. The same goes for the Mets.
The Mets can cut bait even before Beltran ever manages a game. The worst would be for them to keep Beltran and more details come out and put his character even more in question.
There are plenty of managers available that can fill Beltran’s void, including Buck Showalter, Dusty Baker, and Bo Porter. Each one is qualified to handle the job Beltran got with zero managerial experience.
The Mess, er, Mets have made a lot of bad decisions since winning their last World Series in 1986. But keeping Beltran could wind up being the worst of all.
