NEW YORK -- Upon formally accepting the Mets¡¯ three-year offer to become their next manager, Carlos Beltr¨¢n received a swarm of texts from friends, family members and countless individuals within the game of baseball. Among those who reached out were three former teammates from last decade: Carlos Delgado, Pedro Martinez and Jos¨¦ Reyes.
All told, Beltr¨¢n said, he received approximately 260 texts, replying to each one individually because ¡°you¡¯ve got to reply when you receive love.¡±
¡°It really showed me that I did good things in baseball,¡± he said.
Beltr¨¢n related that story late Monday morning at Citi Field not to boast, but to emphasize the importance of relationships in the game. Although Beltr¨¢n accepted the Mets¡¯ job without any prior managerial or coaching experience, he returned to the team having accumulated 20 years¡¯ knowledge as a player, one as a front-office executive and a lifetime more as a son, husband, father and friend.
Emotion is important, Beltr¨¢n said. Relationships are everything. At one point during his press conference, he choked up talking about the children in his namesake academy in Puerto Rico. Beltr¨¢n¡¯s ability to bring that sort of perspective into a big league clubhouse is part of why the Mets value him.
¡°His familiarity with New York City, his familiarity with the Mets, his understanding of how to cope with expectations, adversity and success all factored into it,¡± Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said of his decision. ¡°Carlos didn¡¯t want a job. He wanted this job, and that was powerful in our process.¡±
Upon arriving at his press conference Monday, Beltr¨¢n slipped on his familiar No. 15 Mets jersey, which he wore from 2005-11 as a player, and spoke about the road that led to him becoming manager. Because Beltr¨¢n lives in New York, he did not consider any other jobs. Because he was intimately familiar with the Mets' organization -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- from his six-and-a-half seasons here, he understood better than anyone the challenges that await him. The Mets, in turn, know full well what they are getting.
¡°I feel like I was coming to a place where I didn¡¯t have to sell anything,¡± Beltr¨¢n said. ¡°They knew what kind of person I am. They knew what I can bring to the table.¡±
Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon was already in place when the team signed Beltr¨¢n after the 2004 season. The GM who negotiated with Beltr¨¢n, Omar Minaya, is now a special advisor to Van Wagenen. The executive who oversaw Beltr¨¢n¡¯s tenure in Kansas City before he was traded to the Astros as part of a three-team deal in 2004, Allard Baird, is now an assistant GM in New York. Even Van Wagenen, who had no direct connection to the Mets back then, watched Beltr¨¢n frequently as a season-ticket holder at Shea Stadium and at Citi Field.
Both sides understand there will be a learning curve for a manager with no experience, which is fine by them. Already, Beltr¨¢n has spoken with friends and former managers including Terry Collins, Alex Cora, AJ Hinch and Aaron Boone because, in his words, ¡°no one knows everything.¡± He sees the job as ¡°a beautiful opportunity¡± to win in New York, after making the postseason just once in seven tries with the Mets as a player. By the time Beltr¨¢n won his first World Series with the Astros in 2017, he was a role player, which, in Van Wagenen¡¯s opinion, offered him the humility he¡¯ll need to excel at the job.
¡°We believe he¡¯s the right guy to lead us forward,¡± Van Wagenen said. ¡°We¡¯ve heard our ownership group talk about how playing meaningful games in September is not enough. It¡¯s not enough for me. It¡¯s not enough for Carlos. I came here to win, and we expect to do that.¡±
In ending his opening statement Monday, Beltr¨¢n thanked the Mets' organization for believing him and giving him the chance.
¡°I just can¡¯t wait to rewrite our story,¡± he said.