4 Manager Replacements for Carlos Beltran if Mets Fire Him Over Sign-Stealing Scandal
By Michael Luciano
The New York Mets could be in the hunt for a new manager just weeks after hiring one, as Carlos Beltran's involvement in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal might see him deposed of in the same manner as Alex Cora and AJ Hinch. Should the Wilpon family decide to move on from Beltran, these four managerial targets could be the ideal candidates to lead the team through choppy water.
4. Alex Rodriguez
You want to see the New York media truly melt down? Let's see the Mets go after A-Rod. Rodriguez is currently an analyst on Sunday Night Baseball, and that has been a pretty solid way to get into the managerial arena of late given the hires of Aaron Boone and David Ross. Rodriguez would have minimal motivation to join the Mets, but it would make for one heck of a storyline.
3. Mike Piazza
Piazza has no MLB coaching experience, but Beltran didn't before he was given the gig. A Hall of Fame catcher who spent his best years with the Mets, Piazza would be a welcoming sight that a jaded Mets fanbase could cling to upon No. 31's dramatic return to Queens. This might be a bit of an outside shot, but Piazza would get this fan base pumped up for the future, provided HE didn't steal signs. Heck, Piazza just agreed to manage Team Italy in the 2021 WBC. Why not the Mets, too?
2. Hensley Meulens
Meulens, who was the right hand man for Bruce Bochy on the Giants teams that dominated the first half of the decade, was named bench coach of the Mets under Beltran. Should Beltran get the axe, he would be the most likely candidate to replace him. Boone barely beat Meulens out for the Yankees job, and the Nationals gave him real consideration before hiring Dave Martinez. Meulens has more than paid his dues, and he could finally get a crack at that elusive managerial job.
1. Buck Showalter
"But Showalter is too old-school in his thinking and hasn't won anything in a long time," Mets fans are probably saying collectively. Well, Terry Collins wasn't exactly winning the pennant every year when the Mets hired him, and he brought them to a World Series. Showalter's age (63) and the disastrous end to his tenure in Baltimore should give the Mets pause for thought, but he is a steady hand that can help steer the Mets out of this crisis and back towards respectability.