Would St. Louis Cardinals give an alleged Astros’ can banger a shot as manager?
It’s increasingly difficult to think that Major League Baseball has much interest in continuing to punish the perpetrators of the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.
Alex Cora and AJ Hinch are managers again, none of the active players involved faced any discipline, and Jeff Luhnow’s lucrative exile to the land of business consultancy may only last as long as the patience of the New York Mets.
Carlos Beltrán, fired as manager of the Mets before he was ever able to manage a game, is arguably the last remaining figure from that sport-rocking event who hasn’t reclaimed his place in baseball.
Some in the game believe Beltrán, 44, made for a convenient scapegoat due to his status as a retired player and his stature as a figure with credibility to spare. Others have identified him as the ringleader of the trash can scheme and don’t believe the game has room for his return.
Whether that scandal indeed overshadows a career could determine in part whether he’s likely to replace ousted Mike Shildt as the next manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Who is Carlos Beltrán?
The Puerto Rican switch-hitting outfielder tormented the Cardinals in two separate postseason series as a member of the Houston Astros and was on his way toward cementing a third as a Met when, 15 years ago this week, he was frozen by an Adam Wainwright curveball.
He would end up in St. Louis in 2012 as part of the team’s attempt to fill the gap left by the departure of Albert Pujols. He made two All-Star teams as a Cardinal, hit 56 home runs in two seasons, and won a pennant as part of the 2013 team that lost in the World Series to the Boston Red Sox.
Following that fateful 2017 season with Houston, he interviewed to be the New York Yankees just weeks after announcing his retirement. He was eventually hired as a special assistant in the Yankees front office before his two-month tenure as manager of the Mets.
Why is he a good fit for the Cardinals?
If the gravitas which accompanies a successful major league career is a primary concern for the Cardinals, Beltrán checks that box several times over.
His 20-year career is likely to draw some support from Hall of Fame voters, and he would bring a World Series ring and a reputation as one of the all-time best postseason players into the dugout.
He was a beloved teammate in St. Louis, overlapping with and, at the time, idolized by Wainwright and Yadier Molina. Molina in particular looks up to Beltrán as a fellow son of Puerto Rico, and recently made comments to Puerto Rican media in support of playing his last season for a Puerto Rican manager — comments which were widely interpreted as a statement in support of Beltrán.
Beltrán would bring experience from around the big leagues even with an understanding and appreciation for the history of the Cardinals. He would not be an internal candidate, but he would carry more than sufficient respect among players and staff to quickly integrate into the system.
What are the downsides?
Many of the downsides to hiring Skip Schumaker would likewise apply to Beltrán — he would perhaps be unable to fully select his own staff, and despite his offseason sojourn to Queens, has never managed at any level. Leadership is an important piece of the puzzle, but it’s not the whole puzzle.
Beltrán also may not view the Cardinals as his ultimate destination. He accepted one managerial job in New York and would perhaps be a candidate for the other, the Yankees’ recent contract extension for Aaron Boone notwithstanding.
Most important, though, is the sign stealing scandal.
Certainly, there is no love lost between the Cardinals and Astros organizations, following the departure of Luhnow and several other executives and the Cardinals’ own subsequent scandal involving hacking into the Houston scouting database.
Would the Cardinals really want to provide cover for the Astros by taking charge of the rehabilitation of one of the most impugned can bangers?
It’s also fair to question whether the level of distraction which would accompany hiring Beltrán — it would be substantial, and it would echo through choruses of boos in ballparks all season long — would be justified by his hiring.
If the Cardinals believe he far outstrips the other candidates, perhaps the discussion is moot. If the call is close, however, it’s difficult to imagine breaking a tie in Beltrán’s favor.
Verdict
Carlos Beltrán will almost certainly get a chance to manage, for real, in the major leagues. That chance could come as soon as this winter, and it may even be with the team which hired him two years ago, as the Mets are one of three teams searching for a skipper.
He would, however, be a surprising hire for the Cardinals.
The sudden and shocking departure of one low-key manager paired with choosing to take on a high-voltage controversy would be an unusual decision for this management team, no matter how much support that decision might have in some corners of the dugout.
This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
