Before they hired and fired Carlos Beltran during the 2019-20 offseason, the Mets interviewed Tony La Russa for their managerial vacancy last October.
During an interview Thursday on WFAN’s “Moose and Maggie” show, baseball insider Jon Heyman said the Mets “secretly” spoke with La Russa, who was charged with a DUI one day before being hired by the Chicago White Sox last month.
According to Heyman, the Mets did not make an offer to the Hall of Famer before hiring Beltran, who was fired and replaced by Luis Rojas in January after he was implicated in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
In an interview with Post beat writer Mike Puma in early October of 2019, La Russa spoke glowingly about a couple of other candidates – Red Sox coaches Ron Roenicke and Carlos Febles – for the position. But he also stated that he viewed the Mets’ job as an attractive opening.
“The Mets have been struggling, but you look at what they have and they don’t have and I have to start with the fan base,” La Russa told The Post. “They have a very loyal and passionate fan base, just like that year they went to the World Series [2015] with Terry Collins.
“You look at the other things they have, they have done a great job of developing pitchers and now you have got core young hitters, so I think it’s a combination of the history, the support, and the winning hasn’t been consistent there lately, but that is a great opportunity. You have some assets there. I think a lot of people would like to manage that club.”
Before accepting the Mets’ $18.9 million qualifying offer, pitcher Marcus Stroman had tweeted that “no amount of money honestly” would be enough for him to play for the White Sox with La Russa as manager.
La Russa, who hasn’t managed since 2011 with St. Louis, was charged with driving under the influence after he allegedly ran his car into a curb while driving in the Phoenix area in February, according to court records obtained by ESPN. La Russa previously was busted for DUI after falling asleep at a traffic light near the Cardinals’ spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla.
