Is Beltran’s Return To Mets First Step To Cooperstown?

Carlos Beltran seemed destined for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In November of 2019, the New York Mets named their former star as the Amazin's next manager. Less than three months later, Beltran's baseball world unraveled. A few years later, the call from Cooperstown never came.

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In January of 2020, MLB commission Rob Manfred placed Carlos Beltran smack in the middle of a major cheating scandal, involving the Houston Astros, uncovered by Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Drellich told The Drive with Charlie & Dan on Monday that Beltran was definitely one of the co-developers and implementers of the Astros elaborate sign stealing delivery system in 2017. Carlos Beltran has paid dearly for his involvement. Can Beltran repair his reputation enough to earn a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

On Monday, the Mets announced Beltran would be returning to the ball club as a "special assistant." Some people think that Beltran shouldn't be allowed to work in a Major League Baseball front office after being caught in the cheating scandal. Why? Hasn't Beltran paid his dues? Beltran hit a whopping .231 in 2017. Beltran and teammate Alex Cora knew the system wouldn't help their advanced careers but they were helping their younger teammates win. Was the 2017 Astros elaborate sign stealing system against the rules? Absolutely. Is it fair that Carlos Beltran bears all of the blame and responsibility for the infraction from a weak commissioner of baseball?

No, it does not. Even if Beltran deserves the blame for the entire line-up participating in the illegal practice, the baseball lifer from Puerto Rico has paid the price. Anyone that has come across Beltran, will tell you what a friendly and intelligent baseball person he is. Carlos Beltran would be a MLB manager today. He lost that due to the scandal. Beltran was statistically a better baseball player than Scott Rolen, the most recent player elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame. He lost that too, for now, due to the scandal.

Carlos Beltran and the rest of Houston Astros were wrong for cheating their way to undeserved victories and a World Series in 2017. If commissioner Rob Manfred wanted to do the right thing, he would have vacated the championship. That did not happen. Unlike all of the rest of the Astros players, thanks to Manfred, Beltran faced the music and paid the price. Good for the Mets for not turning their back on one of their own. Beltran deserves to be in the Hall of Fame on the next ballot. Any of the baseball writers who think the cheating scandal disqualifies Beltran, should take a hard look in the mirror. People make mistakes. Gaylord Perry can write a book called "Me and the Spitter" and be elected to the Hall of Fame but Carlos Beltran steals signs like hundreds of other players but can never be forgiven? Sounds a bit hypocritical.