Near the outset of the Mets' search for a manager, as Brodie Van Wagenen screened his own extensive list of candidates by conducting his own preliminary phone interviews, one of those conversations was with Carlos Beltran.
They hit it off. Van Wagenen, 45, a neophyte general manager, saw parts of himself in Beltran, 42, a 20-year major leaguer who has never coached or managed at any level but badly wanted this job with the Mets, for whom he starred from 2005-11.
Both excelled in their previous careers in their shared sport, Van Wagenen as an agent to some of the best players in the world and Beltran as a nine-time All-Star who made more than $220 million. Neither needed to shift into their respective second acts. Both wanted to.
