After an extensive search and interviews, the New York Mets have reportedly zeroed in on hiring either Carlos Beltran or Eduardo Perez as the club’s next manager.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the team has narrowed its search down to the two candidates after each received third in-person interviews, along with two other candidates.
Perez emerged as a serious candidate on Monday with USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale reporting that he was a front runner for the position.
Perez, who is part of ESPN2’s Statcast broadcast, joined ESPN in 2006. He served as a manager for the Puerto Rican team Leones de Ponce from 2008-’09 before joining the Cleveland Indians as a special assistant. Perez later worked as the Miami Marlins hitting coach from 2011-’12.
He rejoined ESPN in 2014 and has served as an analyst in a variety of roles. In addition to his experience around baseball as a player and coach, his time working with ESPN’s StatCast team has helped him develop ties to analytics.
Beltran holds extensive ties to the Mets in his time as a player from 2005-’11. He interviewed for the New York Yankees’ managerial job in 2017 before the team hired Aaron Boone. Beltran later joined the Yankees as an adviser to general manager Brian Cashman.
While both candidates lack extensive managerial experience, they are veterans of the game with ties to analytics, an ability to provide a strong voice in a clubhouse and are bilingual.