Mark Teixeira once advocated for Carlos Beltran's dismissal, called him a cheat for his role in Astros' sign-stealing scandal

Former New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira once called Carlos Beltran a cheat for his role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. After Beltran's name was mentioned in MLB's report on the Astros' cheating incident, Teixeira claimed that the New York Mets must fire Beltran as manager.

“I don’t think the Mets have a choice. They have to fire Carlos Beltran,” Teixeira said on ESPN’s “Get Up!” in 2020. “The only reason Beltran wasn’t punished as a bigger part of this was because of that immunity … it’s really a loophole for Carlos Beltran because he retired immediately after that World Series.

"Now this is a guy who, him and Alex Cora were the main culprits. Alex Cora got fired on the spot by the Boston Red Sox,” Teixeira added. “The New York Mets are in an impossible situation. There’s no way Carlos Beltran – especially in the pressure cooker of New York – there’s no way he can be the manager of the Mets."

Mark Teixeira's MLB achievements

Mark Teixeira received numerous honors throughout his lengthy career in the major leagues. He won five Gold Glove awards and three Silver Sluggers.

Before being selected No. 5 overall by the Texas Rangers in 2001, Teixeira spent three seasons playing for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He became one of the country's top college players.

Two years later, he was promoted to the MLB. He began a 14-year career that featured three All-Star Game appearances, nine seasons with 30 or more home runs, eight seasons with at least 100 RBIs, and a 2009 World Series championship with the New York Yankees.

After his playing career ended in 2016, he transitioned into broadcasting and spent four years as an ESPN analyst. He also dabbled in real estate and investing, much of it focusing on redeveloping Atlanta's west side neighborhoods.