Mets Rumors: Eduardo Perez, Carlos Beltran Final Candidates for Manager Job

The New York Mets have narrowed their managerial search down to former New York star Carlos Beltran and former MLB infielder/outfielder Eduardo Perez, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network noted Friday that Milwaukee Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy is no longer in the running.

Beltran is a former outfielder who spent 20 seasons (1998 to 2017) in the majors, including seven seasons with the Mets. From 2005 to 2011, he hit .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs and 559 RBI for the Mets, earning five All-Star selections in the process.

His lengthy list of accomplishments as a player will likely earn him Hall of Fame consideration: nine All-Star nods, 1999 American League Rookie of the Year, three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers and one World Series championship (2017).

Beltran hung up his cleats following the 2017 season, and immediately upon retiring, he interviewed for the New York Yankees' managerial vacancy in November 2017. The job wound up going to Aaron Boone, but the Yankees later hired Beltran as a special adviser to general manager Brian Cashman in December 2018.

The 42-year-old Beltran does not have any prior managerial experience at the big-league level, but he recently received an endorsement from Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, per the New York Post's Mike Puma:

"Carlos Beltran is just a classy act, loves baseball, knows baseball, a good deep thinker and I think just the right mix with understanding analytics and how the game should be played.

"...There is a certain etiquette that you learn from being around for 20 years in the major leagues like Carlos has. There is a right way to use the analytics and have them implemented into the game and I think he's got that understanding. I think he's got just enough old school and new school to understand it."

Perez, meanwhile, played 13 seasons in the majors, suiting up for six different organizations. Unlike Beltran, he never played for New York.

The son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, Eduardo has previously spent time as a baseball analyst with ESPN. He does not have MLB managerial experience, but he did serve as the skipper for the Colombia squad during the World Baseball Classic qualifying in 2013.

Perez also has experience managing in the Puerto Rico Baseball League, where he was named Manager of the Year in 2008.