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Latest On Carlos Beltran

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Former star outfielder Carlos Beltran has emerged as a popular candidate in managerial searches around the league, though Beltran has only one particular destination in mind.  Speaking to reporters (including Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe and Newsday’s Anthony Rieber) today, Beltran said that he was only interested in managing in New York, to the point of turning down interview requests from other teams.  It was already known that Beltran declined to speak to the Padres about their managerial vacancy, and he revealed today that he had also passed on a chance to interview with the Cubs.

This leaves the Mets as Beltran’s only potential landing spot if he does indeed make a move into the dugout.  He reportedly interviewed for the position last Thursday, though he didn’t officially confirm this during today’s media session.  SNY’s Andy Martino notes that the lack of confirmation could have to do with the Mets “putting high priority on secrecy” during their managerial search (though several names have already been linked to the Mets job).

Though Beltran has long expressed an interest in continuing to work in baseball after hanging up his cleats, he has been particular about which opportunities he has pursued.  It’s clear that his particular interest in remaining in New York has influenced those decisions — beyond his current connection to the Mets’ job, Beltran interviewed for the Yankees’ managerial vacancy after the 2017 season that was eventually filled by Aaron Boone, and has spent the last year working as a special advisor in the Yankees’ front office.  Obviously, Beltran has longstanding ties to the Big Apple after playing for the Mets from 2005-11, and then for the Yankees in 2014-16.

Though Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has indicated he would “have a greater comfort for someone” with past managerial experience, Beltran is one of several potential first-time managers who have been on the Cubs’ radar during their own search.  Mark Loretta, David Ross, and Will Venable have never managed at the Major League or minor league levels before, though the Cubs are also slated to meet with a very experienced former MLB skipper in Joe Girardi.

Mets Plan To Interview Carlos Beltran, Joe Girardi, Mike Bell

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Oct. 12: The Mets will interview Bell on Monday, according to a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network (link).

Oct. 10: The Mets will interview Girardi next week, Andy Martino of SNY tweets.

Oct. 9: The Mets plan to hold in-person interviews with recently retired outfielder Carlos Beltran and Diamondbacks vice president of player development Mike Bell in their search for a new manager, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported earlier today that the Mets are conducting phone interviews with some candidates before committing to face-to-face sitdowns (Twitter link), adding that former Yankees skipper Joe Girardi is “sure” to be interviewed in person. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Bell’s interview is likely to take place next week. Other candidates are sure to emerge in the coming weeks.

Beltran, 42, is currently serving as a special advisor to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, though he’s long been touted as a potential manager. The likely Hall of Famer reportedly interviewed with the Yankees prior to their hiring of Aaron Boone. He’s also said to have declined the opportunity to interview with the Padres this offseason, and it stands to reason that other clubs will have interest in sitting down with him.

Bell, 44, is the younger brother of Reds skipper David Bell. He’s currently in the same position with the Diamondbacks that his older brother was with the Giants prior to being hired away by the Cincinnati organization last winter. Bell interviewed with both the Rangers and the Orioles last offseason, and Rosenthal notes that the Pirates also have some interest in Bell. The 2019 season was Bell’s third in that role, but he’s previously served as the team’s director of player development in addition to three years as a minor league manager. In all, he’s been with the D-backs as a minor league skipper or a front office executive for 13 years.

The 54-year-old Girardi, of course, is no stranger to New Yorkers. He spent a decade at the helm with the Yankees and was the manager in the Bronx for the Yankees’ most recent World Series title back in 2009. He’s been clear about his desire to manage again recently and was set for an interview with the Cubs today. He’ll draw his share of interest from other clubs over the coming weeks and seems like a strong candidate to land back in a Major League dugout sooner rather than later. Since parting ways with the Yankees, he’s served as a television analyst on MLB Network.

Mets Begin In-Person Managerial Interviews

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The Mets have launched their first round of managerial interviews. Carlos Beltran appears to have been the first candidate to sit down with the front office, with Andy Martino of SNY.tv reporting (Twitter links) that the sides met yesterday.

It’s a mite surprising to see Beltran jump to the front of the interview list, though it stands to reason that the Mets had to fit him in wherever they could with Beltran actively engaged with the Yankees’ postseason efforts. The future Hall-of-Famer doesn’t have any prior coaching or managerial experience but certainly knows his way around a big-league dugout. Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweeted earlier today that Beltran is seen as a “very serious” candidate for the job.

Other candidates will obviously follow Beltran into the offices in Queens. Derek Shelton, Joe Girardi, and Mike Bell are already known to be lined up for interviews. All three are said to be scheduled for next week.

It’s too soon to declare this a four-man race. Mets quality control coach Luis Rojas will get an interview, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). The son of long-time former skipper Felipe Alou, Rojas joined the New York organization’s MLB staff last season under just-canned manager Mickey Callaway.

There could be yet more candidates to come. GM Brodie Van Wagenen is also chatting with other persons of interest via phone, Martino adds. The soon-to-be-sophomore exec is working through a “big list” of names. Martino tweets that John Gibbons, Dusty Baker, and Buck Showalter have all been “discussed internally” but “not contacted” to this point.

Coaching Notes: Giants, A’s, Bucs, Rangers, Mets

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The Giants interviewed Athletics quality control coach Mark Kotsay for their vacant managerial position Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle relays (Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the Giants’ interest in Kotsay last week). Although Kotsay’s the only known outside candidate the Giants have interviewed thus far — it appears bench coach Hensley Meulens has already had a sit-down — president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has indicated they’ll likely speak with to six eight individuals in their search to replace Bruce Bochy. Kotsay and Zaidi entered the process with at least some familiarity, as the latter was a member of the A’s front office when the former was an outfielder with the club from 2004-07.

  • Little is known about where the Pirates stand in their hunt for a manager, but they are at least “wide open” in their approach, according to Heyman. Pirates special assistant of baseball operations Jeff Banister and Twins bench coach Derek Shelton have been connected to the job more than any other potential candidates, Heyman notes. However, it’s unclear whether the Bucs have interviewed either of them or anyone else since they fired Clint Hurdle on Sept. 29.
  • The Rangers are set to hire Cody Atkinson as their new minor league hitting coordinator, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. He’ll take over for Josue Perez, who filled the role for five years and will likely move to a different position with the Rangers, per Grant. Atkinson is just 30 years old, though he does bring an impressive resume to the table. He operates a Seattle-based hitting academy, worked as the Reds’ run production and hitting assessment coach for the past year, and comes with a background in kinesiology. His hiring is an example of the Rangers putting “more emphasis on retooling hitters’ swings using technology and biomechanics as aides,” Grant writes.
  • The Mets and minor league field coordinator Kevin Morgan are parting ways, Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports tweets. New York offered to reassign Morgan, but he made the decision to exit, according to Ehalt. It was a long run with the Mets for Morgan, a minor league infielder with the organization from 1994-97 who began working in front office and coaching roles for the club in ’98.

MLBTR Poll: Most Desirable Managerial Opening?

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The Phillies fired Gabe Kapler on Thursday, leaving them as one of eight major league teams searching for a manager at the moment. Fellow National League clubs in the Padres, Mets, Pirates, Giants and Cubs are in the same position, while the Royals and Angels are seeking new skippers in the AL. The question is: Which team has the most desirable job?

For starters, we can probably rule out the Pirates and Royals. Both teams have been hamstrung by low payrolls, with notoriously penny-pinching ownership holding back Pittsburgh and Kansas City (a team whose ownership is in transition) coming off its second 100-loss season in a row. Neither team looks as if it’ll contend in the immediate future, and the same may apply to the Giants, though they are a club with big-spending capabilities and promising president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi at the helm. On the other hand, the rest of the league’s manager-needy organizations look to have decent odds of pushing for relevance sooner than later.

The Phillies just wrapped up their eighth consecutive non-playoff season, but with 81 wins, they weren’t exactly a basement dweller. Kapler’s successor will be taking over a team with big-time talent on hand (Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Aaron Nola, to name a few) and the spending power to amply address its most obvious weaknesses this offseason.

Like the Phillies, the Padres have been suffering for too long. They’re fresh off their 13th straight year without a playoff berth, but they’re another team with front-line talent (Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Chris Paddack). Moreover, the Padres remain loaded on the farm, and owner Ron Fowler has made it clear it’s time to start winning in 2020.

The Mets also have no shortage of top-line players, including ace Jacob deGrom and NL Rookie of the Year favorite Pete Alonso. However, their managerial position is probably the most pressure-packed of all the openings. Previous skipper Mickey Callaway oversaw an 86-win team in 2019, but he dealt with scrutiny from the media, fans and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen from start to finish.

There’s also high expectations in Chicago, where even an exemplary record over five years wasn’t enough to keep Joe Maddon employed. The Cubs and president of baseball ops Theo Epstein gave Maddon the boot even though he helped them break a 108-year World Series drought in 2016 and led them to an overall 471-339 regular-season record with four playoff berths during his reign. But the Cubs, another financially well-off club with enviable high-end talent (Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Hendricks, for example), saw enough of Maddon after a late-season collapse and a non-playoff showing in 2019. Maddon’s replacement will be inheriting an 84-win team that will have playoff expectations for next year.

The Angels, who seem like the favorites to land Maddon next, are another franchise with a sense of urgency to win in 2020. Despite the presence of the game’s best player, center fielder Mike Trout, they haven’t gone to the playoffs since 2014. The Halos haven’t even won a playoff game since October 2009, just a few months after drafting Trout.  With fourth-year general manager Billy Eppler set to enter the last season of his contract in 2020, it’s imperative for him to get this hire right (his previous selection of Brad Ausmus didn’t work out). Otherwise, he and the Angels’ next manager could be out a year from now.

That’s a basic overview of where the sport’s manager-less teams stand heading into the offseason. There are more factors you could consider, of course. Which job looks the most appealing to you?

(Poll link for app users)

Most desirable managerial opening?
Cubs 25.51% (4,655 votes)
Padres 18.95% (3,458 votes)
Phillies 16.62% (3,034 votes)
Angels 13.10% (2,391 votes)
Mets 10.78% (1,967 votes)
Giants 9.20% (1,680 votes)
Royals 3.07% (561 votes)
Pirates 2.77% (505 votes)
Total Votes: 18,251

Mets Will Interview Twins Bench Coach Derek Shelton

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Oct. 10: Shelton’s interview will be an in-person sitdown next week, Sherman tweets.

Oct. 9: Twins bench coach Derek Shelton has emerged as a name to watch in the Mets’ search for a manager. The club has received permission to speak with Shelton, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, though he notes it’s unclear whether the two sides will meet for a face-to-face interview. New York is reportedly doing some due diligence on candidates and won’t bring everyone to town for an in-person interview.

Shelton’s the fourth potential candidate to come to the fore today for the Mets, who will discuss the job with former major league manager Joe Girardi, ex-outfielder Carlos Beltran and current Diamondbacks vice president of player development Mike Bell as they seek a replacement for Mickey Callaway. Like Beltran and Bell, Shelton has no managerial experience at the big league level. However, the former minor league catcher did manage in the Yankees’ farm system several years back, and he has established himself as a well-regarded MLB assistant in more recent seasons.

The 49-year-old Shelton held important roles with the Indians, Rays and Blue Jays before joining the Twins prior to 2018. He worked under Paul Molitor that year before serving as rookie manager Rocco Baldelli’s right-hand man during an AL Central-winning campaign this season. Shelton interviewed for the job before the Twins selected Baldelli, and it seems he’s lining up as a popular candidate for teams that are currently searching for a manager. Shelton has also been connected to the Pirates, with “possibly others” in the mix for his services, per Sherman.

NL Notes: Keuchel, Cards, Mets, Reds, Wood, Fish, DJ

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Dallas Keuchel and the Braves are squaring off against the Cardinals in a memorable NLDS, but the left-hander recently told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he’s surprised the Redbirds didn’t make a bigger effort to sign him when he was a free agent from November to June. “Honestly, I was fully expecting an offer from them,” said Keuchel. “Just never really came about.” Keuchel, whom the Braves signed to a one-year, $13MM deal after a protracted standoff between him and the entire league, added that he viewed St. Louis as “a good destination,” which could be notable with the soon-to-be 32-year-old set to hit free agency again in the coming weeks. Meantime, his club will try to eliminate the Cardinals in a do-or-die Game 5 on Wednesday.

  • The manager-needy Mets may have a couple in-house candidates for the job in quality control/outfield coach Miguel Rojas and Single-A manager Edgardo Alfonzo, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The 38-year-old Rojas, who’s the son of longtime MLB outfielder/first baseman/manager Felipe Alou and the brother of former outfielder Moises Alou, has been a member of the Mets organization for 14 seasons (including eight as a minor league skipper). Now 45, Alfonzo’s best known for a highly productive run as a second/third baseman for the Mets from 1995-2002. Having coached in the organization since 2014, Alfonzo’s hoping New York considers him to replace the fired Mickey Callaway, Puma reports.
  • If the Reds are going to re-sign pending free-agent left-hander Alex Wood, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com estimates it would happen by way of a minor league contract. Considering Wood’s past success and relative youth (29 in January), getting him to accept a non-guaranteed deal may be unrealistic. Regardless, it’s inarguable Wood is coming off a contract year to forget. Acquired from the Dodgers last winter, Wood made only seven starts and threw just 35 2/3 for the Reds this year as he battled nagging back issues. Wood managed an ugly 5.80 ERA/6.38 FIP with 7.57 K/9, 2.27 BB/9 and a 38.2 percent groundball rate when he was healthy enough to take the ball for Cincy.
  • It’s already known the Marlins had interest in DJ LeMahieu last winter, but Joe Frisaro of MLB.com writes the Fish “made a strong push to sign” the second baseman in free agency. The former Cub and Rockie ultimately accepted a two-year, $24MM contract from the Yankees, with whom he has enjoyed a career season. The low-budget Marlins, meanwhile, ended up guaranteeing a mere $4.5MM to players in free agency, inking infielder Neil Walker (who served as a lesser version of LeMahieu for the club) and reliever Sergio Romo to one-year contracts.

Mets, Carlos Beltran Reportedly Have Mutual Interest In Exploring Managerial Fit

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The Mets recently embarked upon a fascinating search for a new manager, with a wide variety of possibilities for GM Brodie Van Wagenen to comb through. Van Wagenen himself was quite the unexpected hire, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the organization is looking into some unexpected names.

Former star Carlos Beltran may not always have had the smoothest relationship with the Mets during his playing days, but Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports that he and the organization are showing some mutual interest. There’s still no indication that the match is particularly likely to come to fruition, but it now seems there’s a path at least to serious talks.

To this point, the Mets have not requested permission to speak with Beltran, who is still actively engaged with the Yankees’ postseason efforts. But the club is performing “background work” on the 42-year-old, who wrapped up his playing career in 2017. Beltran played in New York in half of his twenty exceptional MLB campaigns, including parts of seven seasons with the Mets and parts of three with the Yankees.

Manager Notes: Angels, Maddon, Beltran

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Former Cubs manager Joe Maddon is set to interview for the Angels’ job in the coming days, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Maddon has long been rumored as a leading candidate to succeed Brad Ausmus, and Rosenthal now reports that the feeling is mutual, naming the Halos as Maddon’s top choice. Of course, that two-way interest is at least partially motivated by the extensive history between organization and manager: Maddon spent time as an interim manager with the Angels in 1996 and 1999, and while he didn’t keep that position long-term, Maddon would spend more than thirty years with the Halos organization before departing for Tampa Bay. Maddon should have plenty of interest from other clubs with managerial vacancies, so if the Angels are indeed his ideal destination, he could have his pick of the available jobs. Surely, the Angels would be remiss if they didn’t interview other candidates, so it’s by no means a foregone conclusion, but Maddon to Los Angeles feels like a match made in heaven. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale cites the Padres as another club that has caught Maddon’s attention, and expects the two sides to arrange a meeting in the near future.

  • Former All-Star Carlos Beltran has not been shy about his desire to manage for a big-league club, but he’s waiting on the right situation to present itself, writes Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com. Beltran, who was a candidate to manage the Yankees before Aaron Boone came out ahead, joined the Bombers’ front office as a special adviser prior to the 2018 season. Beltran was recently reported to have declined an interview for the open Padres’ manager position, though there hasn’t been any explanation given. The Mets, who recently fired Mickey Callaway, have also been rumored as a potential fit for Beltran. While there’s been chatter that an allegedly frosty relationship between the ex-Met and team COO Jeff Wilpon would impede such a hire, Beltran said that he would “have to listen” if the Mets came calling. While that doesn’t indicate that he’s clamoring for the job, Beltran seems reluctant to rule out a potential reunion with his former team. As Beltran says, his focus is of course on the contending Yankees for the time being, which means that more clarity might not come to his situation until the end of October. That said, he’s certainly a name to watch as teams seek out their next skipper.

Joe Girardi Doing His Due Diligence On Mets

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Joe Girardi does his homework. Whether he’s the right man to lead the New York Mets in the wake of Mickey Callaway’s firing will ultimately be decided by GM Brodie Van Wagenen and COO Jeff Wilpon, but one thing is for certain, Girardi will do his due diligence before officially throwing his hat in the ring.

Girardi began doing his research on the Mets a couple of weeks before Callaway was let go, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. His ability to co-exist with the front office was one of the driving factors of his dismissal as the manager of the New York Yankees, despite having managed them to a title in 2009. If he does return to the bench, whether that be in New York, Chicago, or elsewhere, the foundations of a solid working relationship with upper management will be an important box to check.

The Mets are investigating all of the big names out there on the open market, with Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon, and Buck Showalter surfacing alongside Girardi. Former players like David Cone and Carlos Beltran have also been linked with the position, though we’ve yet to reach the stage of real legitimacy in this search process. Remember, there are no bad ideas in brainstorming.

There are bad hiring decisions, however, and as he enters his second season on the job, this could be Van Wagenen’s one chance to find the right field manager. The Mets have a tall task ahead of them considering the relatively crowded field of contenders in the NL East. The Braves aren’t going anywhere, the Nationals have some free agency questions to answer, but they could very well return as good or better than they were in 2019, and Bryce Harper and the Phillies will enter 2020 with an increased level of urgency after fading in the second half.

Even the Marlins are building towards a future of some significance, though they remain a year or two away. Seeing Girardi helm the Mets for 19 games a season against Derek Jeter’s Marlins would certainly provide interesting opportunities for repartee between former colleagues. Furthering the fun, Miami manager Don Mattingly was under consideration for manager of the Yankees when the role ultimately went to Girardi.

It’s worth wondering whether Girardi’s straight-shooter style is too similar to the recently-departed Callaway, though Girardi’s open communication is perhaps a touch more sophisticated than Callaway, who famously lost his temper with a reporter while the team was in a skid. It’s clear Girardi wants to return to the dugout, and if there’s a spot for him, the Mets or Cubs seem like the most obvious landing spots due to his obvious connections to New York and Chicago, respectively.

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