Why the Mets chose Andy Green over Carlos Beltran as their next manager

When the New York Mets fired Carlos Mendoza midseason, it felt like a matter of when, not if, Carlos Beltran would be named the organization’s next full-time manager. Not only was Beltran good enough on the field with the Mets to have his number retired by the club just days ago, but he was hired by New York to serve as its manager ahead of the 2020 season, before the fallout from the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal came about. As if that wasn’t enough, Beltran is an assistant in David Stearns’ front office, so he already has a foot in the door in the organization. Beltran is not only beloved by the fan base, but he’s an individual the organization had deemed good enough to manage in the past.

Well, those who assumed Beltran was next in line were proven wrong on Tuesday, with Andy Green named the next Mets manager in a surprise twist. Green, who had previously stated he wanted to return to the front office after the year, had his interim label stripped and was handed a three-year deal to serve as the full-time manager. As unpopular a decision as this might seem to some, here’s why they made it.

The Mets have played well under Andy Green

First and foremost, this sport is about wins and losses. I don’t think Carlos Mendoza was fully at fault for how poorly the Mets played under him at the start of the 2026 campaign, but they were 34-47 at the time of his firing. Since naming Green the interim skipper, they’ve gone 38-39. Under .500, sure, but they’ve been noticeably better under his leadership. Despite trading a third of their roster away at the deadline, they’ve gone 24-21 since August 1.

The Mets have had nothing to play for throughout most, if not all, of Green’s tenure, yet they’ve been playing as consistently well as they have all year. It’s hard to overlook that. They might’ve played well next season under a different manager, but they’ve already seen the team play well under Green. Why change that up?

Andy Green has gotten the most out of young players

A big reason why the Mets have taken a step forward under Green is that their young players have begun to really emerge down the stretch. The Mets could very easily wind up with two of the three NL Rookie of the Year finalists in Carson Benge and Nolan McLean. A.J. Ewing won’t finish too far behind that duo. Zac Thornton has a 3.40 ERA in 14 starts. Christian Scott has more starts allowing zero runs (4) than four runs (3), and he hasn’t allowed more than four runs in any of his 23 starts this season. Even guys like Nate Lavender and Jonah Tong have impressed in limited samples.

It doesn’t feel like this is random, either. Prior to being named interim manager, Green was the organization’s farm director, overseeing the development of the players listed above. On numerous instances, we’ve seen Green push these young guys and get the most out of them. He knows them well, and if the Mets are going to go anywhere anytime soon, it’ll be thanks to these young players developing into stars.

The Mets prioritized continuity over change

The Mets hoped that change would help them rebound from a disastrous collapse down the stretch of the 2025 campaign to the postseason in 2026. It turns out, letting so many key cogs go in one offseason wasn’t the brightest idea. The Mets let Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, among others, and never got going.

This time around, they’re prioritizing continuity. It might’ve made sense to take a shot with Beltran, Alex Cora or someone else, but who’s to say that would’ve worked? The Mets are sticking with a manager they’ve seen the team perform well under. Had they stuck with, say, Alonso, perhaps this season would’ve gone differently. The grass isn’t always greener, and the Mets are admitting that by making this move.

The Mets likely wanted to stay away from inexperienced managers this time around

The Mets hired Carlos Mendoza, who had no managerial experience, and after a magical 2024 campaign, they saw things unravel in 2025 and in 2026. Buck Showalter was their manager before that, and he had all kinds of managerial experience, but the managers before Showalter, Luis Rojas and Mickey Callaway, were newbies to the role. Three of the last four Mets managers have been completely new to the role, and they’ve all failed. Did they really want to go down that road again?

Beltran is a Hall of Famer on the field and he has been working in the front office, but he’s never been a big-league manager. We’ve seen plenty of Hall of Fame players struggle in a managerial capacity before. Are we sure Beltran is actually cut out for the role? Green’s tenure managing the San Diego Padres didn’t result in a ton of winning, but it did give him experience. Clearly, things have been much better for him with the Mets. The Mets know what Green can do in the dugout, and that likely played into their decision.