The temptation would be to deem the Carlos Beltran Era as classically Metsian, with the rookie skipper getting fired -- or stepping down or getting pushed out or whatever euphemism you prefer -- before he managed a game, or even before he opened a spring training meeting.
But this wouldn't be accurate. With all due respect to Marv Throneberry, Bobby Valentine's mustache and glasses, and Yoenis Cespedes' wild boar, this isn't Metsian at all. Because in the first month of what will be an incredibly important year, the Mets got lucky as hell. They were so fortunate with how this played out that Fred and Jeff Wilpon should buy some lottery tickets today, in the hope they can buy out Steve Cohen's share of the team. This was a rare case of the baseball gods rescuing them, rather than laughing at them.
The Mets could not have been more blessed by the timing of all of this. Beltran's complicity in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal emerged in the offseason, before camps opened. If the Astros' case had dragged into March or April, after Beltran had started to connect with the players, or after a good start to the regular season, the Mets' decision would have been much more complicated. For days and weeks last year, former manager Mickey Callaway twisted in the wind of uncertainty, with the team seemingly unable to make a decision despite just about everybody in the organization believing it was only a matter of time before he was let go. Can you imagine how the Mets' leadership would've struggled to do the right thing if the commissioner's report was released after a 12-2 start?
And lest there's any doubt: The Mets effectively fired Beltran. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen could've issued a statement Monday night standing by his new hire with the same words he uttered in the fall, about how Beltran's involvement in the Astros' scandal didn't involve the Mets. But their silence told their fan base everything. And if Beltran actually did initiate his departure, it was only because of the leadership's public silence and the growing tornado of controversy that developed over his status.
The Mets still have plenty of time to weigh possible alternatives to Beltran. The guy who finished second in the running, our colleague Eduardo Perez, is available. Buck Showalter, a manager with 20 years of experience, is available.
And it may be that the guy who replaces Beltran will turn out to be a better choice. At the time the Mets selected Beltran, there was a lot of surprise in other front offices, a lot of questions that didn't really have much to do with the qualifications of the former outfielder. Beltran is universally liked and respected, and over the past decade there has been a lot of talk that he'd be good as a manager someday.
But the 2020 Mets are a win-now team, with a chance to be really good. The rotation could be excellent, with Jacob deGrom leading a group of Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha and Steven Matz. The bullpen was awful at times last year, but there's a lot of reason to believe that Edwin Diaz could bounce back, and that the newly signed Dellin Betances will help.
The lineup is settled, with Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and others. The division is competitive -- the Braves are the defending NL East champions, and the Nationals just won the World Series -- and yes, the Mets' organization is top-heavy after the farm system was stripped down to get Diaz, Robinson Cano, etc.
But the Mets' window is now, and after the team's struggles under Callaway, a first-time manager, rival executives figured the Mets would pick an experienced skipper who wouldn't have to go through a learning curve the way Callaway had. In the eyes of those rival evaluators, Joe Girardi would've been a nice fit, with his experience in the role and in the media market of New York. Showalter would be a good fit, and it just so happens that operating a bullpen is something he excelled at in his career in the dugout.
Beltran becomes a footnote in the Mets' managerial history, a future trivia question that'll win you a beer bet. But the Mets' front office got a mulligan, at exactly the right moment for them, when they can still let it fly without having lost anything.
That's not the way it usually happens for the Mets, but that's what happened in the Beltran Era.