The New York Mets have parted ways with manager Carlos Beltran after his involvement with the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal of 2017, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
“We met with Carlos last night and again this morning and agreed to mutually part ways. This was not an easy decision,” Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and GM Brodie Van Wagenen released in a statement. “Considering the circumstances, it became clear to all parties that it was not in anyone’s best interest for Carlos to move forward as Manager of the New York Mets.”
“We believe that Carlos was honest and forthcoming with us. We are confident that this will not be the final chapter in his baseball career. We remain excited about the talent on this team and are committed to reaching our goals of winning now and in the future.”
Beltran’s tenure lasted just three months after being hired on Nov. 1. Eleven days later, a report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich revealed the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme during their World Series-winning campaign.
After an extensive investigation by Major League Baseball, commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Astros manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow on Monday, which team owner Jim Crane responded by firing them both.
On Tuesday, Hinch’s bench coach at the time, Alex Cora, parted ways with the Boston Red Sox as team manager after a two-year spell at the position.
In Manfred’s nine-page report, Beltran — who was with the Astros during the final year of his career in 2017 — was specifically by name as one of the major contributors. He was the only player featured in the document.
Multiple reports disclosed that players at the time would not be punished, but the Mets opted to remove themselves from the situation by cutting ties with Beltran.
“At a meeting this morning with Jeff and Brodie we mutually agreed to part ways. I’m grateful to them for giving me the opportunity, but we agreed this decision is in the best interest of the team,” Beltran said. “I couldn’t let myself be a distraction for the team. I wish the entire organization success in the future.”
Now, the Mets will have to conduct an emergency managerial search with pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training on Feb. 11,
