Heat Turning Up on Mets on Carlos Beltran's Fate

Should the Mets fire Carlos Beltran? Will it happen sooner rather than later?

Well the pressure continues to mount three days after Commissioner Rob Manfred published a nine-page report detailing the League's decision to levy penalties on the Houston Astros for the sign-stealing scandal.

Since Manfred's decision to suspend Astros manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow for a full year, both Hinch and Luhnow have been fired. Alex Cora, the supposed architect of the scheme was fired by the Boston Red Sox. Many believe Cora used similar tactics in Boston in 2018 -- the year the Sox won the World Series. MLB has yet to levy its penalty on Cora, but its coming.

As for Beltran, who was named in the report, the question over what the Mets will do has been the topic of discussion. And it isn't going away.  Mark Teixeira an ESPN baseball analyst and former teammate of Beltran's when they played together on the Yankees, has joined a wide and long chorus calling for the Mets to fire Beltran.

On top of that a Twitter account, claiming to be the niece of Beltran, posted Wednesday that the Mets manager is planing to step down. How true, in a world where fake burner accounts have a tendency to run rampant (see Manish Mehta and Adam Gase) is anyone's guess.

Then there is the the report from ESPN's Buster Olney that the Mets are "wavering" on Beltran.

The Mets have been radio silent since Manfred came out.  Jeff Wilpon is expected to speak to reporters Thursday in Florida for a street sign ceremony honoring Mike Piazza and the re-naming of the Mets spring training stadium. Clearly nobody is going to want to talk about the new stadium name, or Piazza's street sign, they will want to talk Beltran, Beltran and more Beltran.

The Mets have to get ahead of this and put this to bed. They need to take a stand one way or the other.

Fire Beltran? Keep Beltran? Agree to part ways? Fire Brodie Van Wagenen? Decisions have to be made and the Mets have to come out and face the music. If the Mets were lied to be Beltran about his involvement in the Astros scandal, yes, they will look bad. But it would look worse if they keep their heads in the sand and say nothing.