For nearly seven years, Carlos Beltrán served as one of the most productive position players and free-agent signings in Mets history. The team now plans to bring him back as an on-field leader for what it hopes is an even longer time to come.
The Mets announced Friday that they have signed Beltrán to a three-year managerial contract with a fourth-year club option, making the Puerto Rico native the first Latino manager in Mets history. The team plans to introduce him at a press conference Monday morning at Citi Field.
“We are thrilled, as we know our passionate fans will be, to have him back in the family,” Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said in a statement.
After signing a then-record seven-year, $119 million contract before the 2005 season, Beltrán batted .280 with 149 home runs and 100 stolen bases over 6 1/2 years in Flushing, making five All-Star teams. His Mets tenure ended when the rebuilding club traded him to the Giants in July 2011 for Zack Wheeler. Beltrán went on to play for four more teams after the Giants, winning his first title with the Astros in 2017. A year after retiring, he took a job as a special advisor for the Yankees, who lauded his work in that role.
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