Beltran, now with Cardinals, tells Mets fans to move on from 2006

12:01 PM, January 25, 2012 ι POST STAFF REPORT

Mets fans have not had a lot to cheer about since 2006 when they came within one win of the World Series.

There was an epic collapse in 2007, a slightly-less epic collapse in 2008, and the past three seasons has been a time of upheaval in the front office and belt-tightening in the post-Madoff era.

So, Mets fans look back at that season, which ended in a Game 7 loss to the Cardinals in the NLCS, with much regret. That game ended with Carlos Beltran striking out looking at an Adam Wainwright curveball with the bases loaded and the Mets down 3-1.

Beltran, who signed a two-year deal with St. Louis this offseason, tells Mets fans it is time to move on.

"I'm not thinking about the fans," Beltran told MLB.com Tuesday at a fundraising dinner in New York City. "I'm thinking about myself. I'm thinking about my chances of being with a team that I just wanted to have the opportunity to be in the playoffs. What happened in 2006, you have to turn the page. That's over.”

Beltran remained on the Mets until they traded him to the Giants last season for pitching prospect Zach Wheeler. The outfielder is now on the Cardinals, who not only went on to win the World Series in 2006, but were champions again this past season.

"It's already been six years,” Beltran said. “If (Mets fans) want to continue to think about that moment, that's their problem. But I turned that page. I really moved on. I just feel that being with the Cardinals this year, it was a good fit for me."

Despite his somewhat harsh words, Beltran said will remember his 6-1/2 seasons in New York fondly.

"The way they think of me, that's how they feel, so there's nothing I can do about it," Beltran said. "I just have to say that, in my time here, I really enjoyed playing for the Mets. We went through a lot of ups and downs as a team, but I feel, personally, that in the years that I was healthy, I did the best that I could to help the team."