Carlos Beltrán pulls out of Cubs' managerial search, seeks Mets' job, report says

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Scratch one name off your list of candidates to replace Joe Maddon on the North Side.

Sunday, Carlos Beltrán said that although the Cubs are interested, he won't interview for the team's managerial opening. Beltrán, a nine-time All-Star who played 20 big league seasons, told Newsday's Anthony Rieber that he's only interested in the Mets' opening.

Beltrán's interest in the Mets' vacancy makes sense, as he played seven seasons with the team from 2005-11. The 42-year-old also currently works in the Yankees front office, so leaving for Queens would mean moving his office just across town.

Beltrán was one of the few reported candidates from outside the organization linked to the Cubs' opening. The group also includes Joe Girardi — who completed an eight-hour interview last Wednesday — and Astros bench coach Joe Espada. Houston is still in the postseason, though, meaning Espada has likely not been made available for interview at this point in time.

The Cubs have already interviewed several internal candidates, including bench coach Mark Loretta, first base coach Will Venable and front office assistant/former catcher David Ross. There is no timeline for when they will make their announcement, though.

"We're not gonna drag this out any longer than it needs to be, but we also want to be thorough," Cubs president Theo Epstein said at his end-of-season press conference. "It's difficult. The interview process, you want to make sure you don't end up with the candidate who interviews the best.

"You want to end up with the candidate who's gonna be the best manager and that can be nuanced, so we want to do the best we can with that process. We're certainly not gonna hesitate."

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