Carlos Beltran says managing is 'on my bucket list' but is noncommittal about Mets opening

Of this there is certainty: Carlos Beltran is set to become an immortal name Sunday when he’s formally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, a Mets cap sitting above his head on his forever plaque in Cooperstown.

But will the ex-Mets player and manager become the next Mets manager?

Beltran was their manager for 77 days, dating from November 2019 into January 2020. Being named in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal led to his quick departure.

Now the former 20-year major leaguer and nine-time All-Star is a special assistant to the Mets’ president of baseball operations, David Stearns.

Beltran confirmed Monday that the Mets spoke with him about possibly taking over as manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired on June 26. Andy Green ultimately got the job on an interim basis with the idea that he would return to his role in player development after the season.

But Beltran’s name has been floating out there as the favorite to hold the job in 2027 and beyond. At the moment, he’s noncommittal about being in the running.

“I have to tell you that having the opportunity to manage, I will say that that’s probably on my bucket list,” Beltran said Monday via a Zoom session with reporters.

“But now I work as an advisor to the organization, and I love the work that I do because it gives me the opportunity to be around the people that are making important decisions. It allows me to give my perspective on situations, players, strategies or whatever comes when it’s related to winning.

“Yes, I understand that my name has been mentioned about being a manager and all that, and I’m proud of that . . . Just the fact that people thought that I could become a Hall of Fame [member], I take that very positively. And just the thought that people can think that I can manage a major-league ballclub, I also take that very positively.

“But at the same time, I don’t know, man. I’ve got to think. I’ve got to think deeply about what my next step is going to be.”

The disappointing Mets let Mendoza go when they were 34-47. Beltran, who signed a seven-year, $119 million deal with them in 2005 and made the NL All-Star team five times in his six-plus seasons, decided he didn’t want to be the next man up at that time.

“Yes, I had conversations with a few people with the organization,” Beltran said. “I just didn’t feel it was the right thing for me to do.”

MLB cited Beltran for not doing the right thing when he played for Houston in 2017. The Mets avoided the distraction when they parted ways with Beltran in 2020.

“This isn’t a fun day,” then-Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said. “It’s one we wish we didn’t have to be in.”

Beltran is still bothered by being the lone player named in the MLB report that followed an investigation.

“Sometimes, I feel like when you dig deep into the case and you dig deep into who I was as a player and how I behaved as a player throughout my career, it created kind of like some red flags on the process,” Beltran said. “It created red flags on the investigation. I’ve got to be honest. I’ve got to tell you how I feel because sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that I ended up in that position, just the only player mentioned in the report.

“When I went to the interview with MLB baseball, the first thing they told all the players was, ‘You know what guys? We just want to know what happened. We want to know how everything happened with the Astros. We are going to give all the players immunity. We’re not going to suspend nobody. We’re not going to mention anybody.’

“So the fact that I’m the only player mentioned, I don’t know; it’s kind of weird. Sometimes, it gives me a bad taste in my mouth. … I feel like mentioning Carlos Beltran in that report, that was my suspension.”

“I know I was part of the organization,” he added. “I know that as a team we got together to do what we did. But I’ve got to tell you, this was not like one player’s idea. This was a team being together from top to bottom to do something that we felt was going to help us win.”

The scandal surely led to his wait for a pass into the Hall. But the switch-hitting owner of 2,725 hits, 435 homers, 312 steals, a 1.021 postseason OPS and three Gold Gloves got it on his fourth swing.

“I thank God for that,” Beltran said. “I appreciate all the reporters that voted for me . . . I feel very happy to represent the New York Mets in Cooperstown.”