Now the Mets are looking for a new manager. Again.

Carlos Beltran's 2nd tour of duty in Flushing is over before it really started.

Although he was cleared of any wrongdoing in the Houston Astros' 2017 cheating scandal, Beltran, realizing that the Mets were facing undue scrutiny just by hiring him as manager to replace Mickey Callaway, notified Mets management earlier today and said it would be better for all concerned if he stepped down as manager before spring training begins next month.

Beltran was a fan favorite in the course of 6 1/2 seasons with the Mets as a player (2005-11), but there were those in the fan base who were feeling salty about the managerial hire, especially since Beltran, like Callaway before him, had no managerial experience. The media has had their collective eyes on the Mets because, even though he'd been exonerated by Major League Baseball, Beltran was still guilty by reason of association. After Jeff Luhnow, AJ Hinch, & Alex Cora lost their jobs earlier this week, there was pressure on the Mets to do something.

Beltran did them a favor. He made the decision himself to step down, and walk away to save his career and his reputation.

Yahoo!'s Tim Brown and Fox/MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal were on top of the story as it was breaking.

Early word is that Luis Rojas, son of former Expos and Giants manager Felipe Alou, and brother of ex-Met Moises Alou, was the front-runner to take over as manager. Again, the Wilpon family is refusing to consider more experienced candidates in favor of pinching pennies. If they really wanted to hire a manager with zero experience, they could've just kept it in house.

Instead, former star player and current color analyst Keith Hernandez is finalizing a deal to remain with the team as part of the SNY/WPIX broadcast team. For someone who keeps preaching "fundies" (fundamentals) during telecasts, that should've been a sign that Hernandez, with the right kind of incentives, could've been persuaded to move downstairs to the dugout. The Mets could've had Joe Girardi, but he went to Philadelphia instead. All because the Wilpons are using the Jack Benny playbook in making business decisions.

Carlos Beltran walked away with his dignity intact, despite initially lying about his involvement in l'affaire Astros. Now, the Mets, Astros, & Red Sox have a little more than a month to find new managers, and put the scandal to rest.