Carlos Beltran Would “Have to Listen” If Mets Approached Him About Managing

Carlos Beltran retired two years ago after capturing his first World Series championship with the Houston Astros in his 20th big league season.

A storied career, Beltran is all but a sure thing to be enshrined forever in Cooperstown when he is eligible in three more years. Since retirement, Beltran has been working as a special adviser to New York Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman, but can see himself managing if the opportunity presented itself.

“I think, with my experience in baseball, I can contribute to a clubhouse, contribute to players’ lives,” the former outfielder said in Spanish at Yankee Stadium prior to Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Saturday, according to Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com. “I think with the respect I earned in baseball, I have the credibility that I can do it.”

Beltran, 42, spent six and a half years with the New York Mets between 2005 and 2011, and solidified himself as one of the all-time great Mets in the process. He appeared in five All-Star games, won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards in his time in Queens. However, he is mostly remembered by some fans for his strikeout that ended the 2006 NLCS, as the Cardinals beat the Mets and advanced to the World Series.

The outfielder has also been rumored to have a strained relationship with the Mets due to a debacle in 2010 where a knee injury that was plaguing him was not handled properly.

Beltran, however, downplayed this notion and instead attacked it with a more optimistic mindset.

“I can’t say my time with the Mets was bad,” he said, according to the article mentioned above. “I played seven years with the New York Mets. If I were to get into the Hall of Fame, I have to consider the Mets as the team [for the plaque]. … I had my best years with the New York Mets. If people have that perspective, that’s the perspective of the fan base. I established great friendships and great relationships when I was with the New York Mets.”

Beltran’s name has been floated around as a potential candidate to manage the Mets in 2020 and beyond, and if the Mets come calling Beltran would “have to listen.”

“You can’t rule anything out in life. You can’t live life thinking about the past. You have to live in the present.”