Long before Carlos Beltran began serving as a special assistant to New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, Beltran spent a portion of what became his Hall of Fame playing career with the Mets. 

He was later on track to be the Mets manager for the 2020 MLB season, but the two sides parted ways in January of that year after his alleged involvement in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal was reported. 

While speaking with media members on Monday, Beltran confirmed that he and the Mets discussed the club's managerial opening after New York fired Carlos Mendoza in late June. 

Carlos Beltran: Replacing Carlos Mendoza this summer wasn't "the right thing for me to do"

"Yes, I had conversations with a few people within the organization, and I don’t know, I just didn’t feel it was the right thing for me to do," Beltran explained, per Tyler Kepner of The Athletic. "And I have to tell you that, having the opportunity to manage, I would say that that’s probably in my bucket list." 

The Mets ultimately turned to senior vice president of player development Andy Green to serve as their interim manager, but he is not expected to be a candidate for the full-time gig later this fall. Meanwhile, A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora are two other big names linked with the Astros scandal who were eventually welcomed back into big-league baseball.

Thus, there's no reason to think there'd be any issue with the Mets hiring Beltran if he is deemed to be the best person for the job. 

Would Carlos Beltran eventually accept the Mets job?

On Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Beltran is the Mets' first choice for the full-time manager gig and that Beltran passed on the opportunity to lead the team for the rest of the 2026 season due to "his Hall of Fame commitments this summer."

On Monday, Beltran neither confirmed nor denied that he will pursue the Mets job after the team plays its final game of the ongoing campaign. 

"I understand that my name has been mentioned about being a manager and all that, and I’m proud of that," Beltran added during his comments. "...But at the same time, I don’t know, man. I’ve got to think deeply about what my next step is going to be."

Beltran will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this coming Sunday.