In the latest fallout of the Astros cheating scandal, Carlos Beltran is out as Mets manager

Somehow, someway, the cheating scandal involving the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros landed on the Mets’ front door. It huffed, and it puffed and blew everything away, including the credibility of new manager Carlos Beltran. The team tried staying away from the scandal as long as possible but couldn’t escape. Like Thanos, the end result was inevitable.

It was announced that Beltran and the Mets have mutually decided to pardon ways, just days after Boston let go of Alex Cora and the Astros fired A.J. Hinch. This was first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown and confirmed by The Athletic’s Ken Rodenthal. He leaves the team without even coaching a major league game.

Statement from #Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and Executive Vice President & General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen on Carlos Beltrán. pic.twitter.com/tDSBLczoIA

— New York Mets (@Mets) January 16, 2020

Beltran released a statement, via the Mets, stating:

“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. I couldn’t let myself be a distraction for the team. I wish the entire organization success in the future.”

Beltran was hired by the Mets in November following a stint with the New York Yankees in an office role. Prior to that, the multi-time All-Star played for the Astros in 2017. He was the only player mentioned in MLB’s report regarding the sign-stealing scandal that The Athletic went into detail on. Beltran previously claimed he was unaware of the Astros using a center-field camera to observe signs, when it actually appeared he was the ringleader.

“We took a lot of pride studying pitchers [on] the computer. That is the only technology that I use and understand,” Beltran stated to the NY Post. “It was fun seeing guys get to the ballpark to look for little details.”

The fascinating aspect of this is the league decided it was not going to punish any players involved. Now that he is not a player, he was not protected by the MLB Player’s Association or any other entity. It doesn’t appear that Beltran will be receiving a punishment by the league. The Mets, however, dealing with pressure on all fronts, decided it was best to avoid a distraction and free themselves of the Beltran burden.

Now, the Mets must find a new manager with 4+ weeks left until Spring Training.