Yahoo Sports Could Carlos Beltran be part of the Yankees' pitch to Manny Machado?
The New York Yankees are beefing up their staff with another former player. Retired outfielder and designated hitter Carlos Beltran has reportedly been hired by the Yankees as a special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman. Beltran himself spoke to ESPN about his decision.
“It is a job I had considered and taking it with the Yankees made all the sense in the world,” Beltran told ESPN. “They are a storied franchise and I know them well because I played there. Also, I will be in New York, where I have a home. This is the first step toward a new career, now in the office and I am very happy about it. Right now I am not setting huge goals nor am I thinking over the long term. I am just taking one step at a time.”
Beltran spent just under three seasons with the Yankees, signing a three-year contract with the team in 2014. He was traded to the Texas Rangers in the middle of 2016, and then went on to sign a one-year contract with the Houston Astros. In the final year of his career in Houston, Beltran finally won the World Series ring that had eluded him in the 19 previous years he’d played.
Despite spending more time with the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, and winning a World Series with the Astros, Beltran has been connected to the Yankees since his retirement after the 2017 season. He was in the running for the Yankees managerial job that came open when Joe Girardi’s contract wasn’t renewed in 2017, but lost out to Aaron Boone.
The Manny Machado connection
Free agent superstar Manny Machado is scheduled to meet with the Yankees on Wednesday as part of his tour of interested teams, which makes the timing of Beltran’s hire interesting. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Machado and Beltran used to share an agent. Machado is repped by Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, the same guy who was Beltran’s agent when he was a player.
Could Beltran be part of the Yankees’ pitch to Machado? It’s definitely possible, since Beltran could provide valuable information on the experience of signing in New York as a free agent. But Beltran told ESPN that’s not why he was hired.
“That is pure coincidence,” Beltran said of the timing of his new role and the Machado negotiations. “I have been discussing this with Cashman for some time now, and on Monday I made the decision to accept it. My job will have nothing to do with Machado´s situation. But I did tell Cashman that I am available to help in whatever is needed and also with the recruitment of Machado if that is necessary.”
Beltran’s only been a Yankees employee for a few days but he’s already willing to do whatever it takes for the team. He’ll even help with Machado’s recruitment if necessary. Will the Yankees call on him? Will their pitch work? We’ll just have to wait and see. But at least Yankees fans know they’ve got Beltran in their corner.
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