Carlos Beltran Thought There Was 'No Chance' of Mets Reunion After 2020 Firing

Carlos Beltran is set to begin his new role with the New York Mets this week, returning to the franchise that fired him three years ago following the revelation of his involvement in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal of 2017.

While speaking with reporters Wednesday, Beltran said he never thought he would get the opportunity to work for the Mets again.

"No chance," Beltran said. "That's how the world goes around."

He added: "When this opportunity came, it was a no-brainer for me to say yes. This organization is part of who I am as a ballplayer."

Beltran was hired to be New York's manager in November 2019, but he never managed a game for the franchise and was fired in January 2020 following Major League Baseball's investigation into Houston's sign-stealing scandal.

The 45-year-old, who played for the Astros in 2017, was the only player to be named in MLB's investigation of the scandal. The investigation revealed that Beltran was among a group of players who "discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams' signs and communicating the signs to the batter."

In addition to Beltran, the Astros fired A.J. Hinch as their manager ahead of the 2020 season, as did the Boston Red Sox with Alex Cora, as a result of the scandal. Hinch was later hired as manager of the Detroit Tigers in 2021, and Cora returned to the Red Sox after one season away from the team, so it was only a matter of time before Beltran returned to the league.

Beltran spent the 2022 season as an analyst for New York's YES Network. Before deciding to return to the Mets, the three-time Gold Glover said he received offers for several coaching jobs.

Beltran spent seven seasons with the Mets from 2005-2011, which were some of the best years of his career. He slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs and 559 RBI in 839 games in that span.

Additionally, Beltran earned five All-Star Game selections, three Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards in his tenure with the Mets.

While he's now set to serve as a special assistant to Mets general manager Billy Eppler in 2023, Beltran would not rule out the possibility of a return to the dugout as a manager in the future.

"The job is going to allow me to be around prospects and the guys on the big-league level," Beltran said. "My job is to help anywhere that I can."

The Mets enter 2023 with high expectations after a historic winter that saw the franchise go on an enormous spending spree that has resulted in a $470 million luxury tax payroll, per Spotrac.

If the team fails to live up to the hype, Eppler and owner Steve Cohen are going to face some pretty immense backlash. Luckily, Beltran won't have to deal with much of that after recently being re-hired.