Carlos Beltrán said he loves what he is doing right now, which would complicate what he could be doing.
Beltrán, who is an adviser to president of baseball operations David Stearns in the Mets front office and is free to offer help throughout the organization without feeling obligated to be anywhere specific, is an obvious candidate to become the club’s next manager.
He technically was the manager once, a short-lived stint, and Mets officials had talked to Beltrán about taking over for the fired Carlos Mendoza this season.
Beltrán declined then and was publicly noncommittal Saturday when asked about the prospect, with the club expected to begin a managerial search once the season is complete.
“Being a manager in Major League Baseball is a huge commitment — a very, very huge commitment,” Beltrán said before he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. “And I’m not saying that I’m not willing to take that commitment, but right now, at the position where I am today in life, I love to be a dad. I love to be a husband. I love to be involved in the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico.
“And being a manager, I would not be able to do that full time.”
Beltrán did not outright reject the notion and said he was not sure if he would interview.
“If I stay relevant in the game, and hopefully I continue to be around baseball teams, I could think about [managing] later on,” said Beltrán, who was hired for the job in November 2019 and resigned two months later amid the revelations about his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal.
He eventually returned to the organization as an adviser to then-general manager Billy Eppler in early 2023, even if he was unofficially helping the club before then.
Fellow Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor said he lives on the Upper East Side because of Beltrán, whom he called upon being traded early in 2021 and hooked him up with a realtor.
When Lindor struggled in his first season in Queens, just as Beltrán had done, he leaned on Beltrán for advice.
Lindor and interim manager Andy Green responded similarly when asked about the possibility of Beltrán as the next Mets manager: Whatever Beltrán wants to do, they said, he will do well.
“If he decides to pursue it and if they feel like it’s going to be the best thing for the organization, I think he’s going to succeed at it,” Lindor said before the Mets’ 10-3 win over the Phillies. “He’s somebody that’s very respected, but to be a manager is not about respect. It’s about knowing the game and making the right moves at the right time and connecting with players, and I think he can do all of those.”
Green said Jared Young, who was placed on the concussion injured list Friday and will miss the rest of the season, is doing better and has “a milder headache today.”
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Young was able to watch Friday’s Mets win from the couch.
Devin Williams (shoulder strain) threw his second live batting practice before the game against the Phillies.
If Williams responds well, Green said he anticipates activating Williams on the road trip that begins Tuesday.
The Mets activated Cionel Pérez from the 15-day IL and optioned righty Cameron Weston to Triple-A Syracuse.
