Breaking Down Rumored Candidates for Mets' Managerial Job (And What Should David Stearns Prioritize)

The New York Mets have a lot of decisions to make in the offseason. One of the most important decisions will be who will succeed Carlos Mendoza as the Mets' new manager and guide a team with one of the highest payrolls in baseball back to the postseason.

Barring a change of heart, interim manager Andy Green will not pursue the full-time job and is slated to return to the front office for 2027. Three of the earliest rumored candidates for the job appear to be former Red Sox manager Alex Cora, along with Hall of Famers Carlos Beltran and Albert Pujols.

Cora would be the home-run hire for the Mets, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last week that the Philadelphia Phillies are likely to make a strong push to hire him again this winter. Another former manager with experience threw his hat in the ring when David Ross, who managed the Chicago Cubs before being let go so they could add Craig Counsell, said on ESPN's broadcast of Mets-Orioles on Wednesday that he would be interested in the job if approached by the team.

“I’ll answer the phone,” David Ross said just now on ESPN in answer to whether he’d be interested in the Mets (or any other managerial job). Ross, whose bench coach was Andy Green when he managed the Cubs, previously said as much to Dan Martin of @nypostsports
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 17, 2026

It is unclear yet whether the Mets are interested in Ross, but the common names linked to the vacancy appear to be the aforementioned three: Beltran, Cora, and Pujols. Of that trio, Cora is the only one with significant managerial experience, although Pujols did manage the Dominican Republic team during March's World Baseball Classic.

“The first three phone calls are Beltrán, Pujols, Cora … Steve Cohen & David Stearns would like a win right now.”@jonmorosi on who the Mets next manager could be. pic.twitter.com/sNVBexKc6l
— Just Mets (@just_mets) September 8, 2026

What the Mets should be prioritizing in a manager

Managing in New York is challenging, and asking someone to learn on the job in this market is tough. We have seen rookie managers go through ups and downs in New York, including Mendoza, Luis Rojas, Mickey Callaway, and Willie Randolph.

While Cora is the proper first target for the Mets' managerial search, there is a reasonable chance he reunites with Dave Dombrowski in Philadelphia to join a club that is a clear playoff team right now. If the Mets can't get Cora, they shouldn't just default to Pujols, Beltran, or another candidate without managerial experience.

The fact that Green has been so stabilizing in the Mets' clubhouse should indicate to Stearns that they should be more willing to consider candidates with experience. Even if Cora is not an option, there are plenty of viable candidates on the market with managerial experience, including Ross, Rob Thomson, Don Mattingly (who would become available if Cora takes the Phillies' job), and Rocco Baldelli.

The trickiest call on the list of existing candidates may well be Beltran, who was slated to become the Mets' manager in 2019 before his ties to the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal led the Wilpons to move on before he managed a game. Beltran is now a Hall of Famer and has a strong relationship with the organization, something that would change dramatically if he were to leave his special adviser role and enter the dugout.

Stearns needs to be less risky in the offseason, and that certainly should apply to the manager's office. While there is every chance Pujols, Beltran, or another first-time candidate could be the next great skipper, it is wiser to let someone else find that out while the Mets add a manager who already knows the basics of the day-to-day job.

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