Carlos Beltran agrees to one-year deal with Houston Astros

Oct 9, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers designated hitter Carlos Beltran drives in a run with a ground out in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

The Houston Astros have signed the 39-year old power hitting free agent Carlos Beltran

According to Buster Olney, and other sources, the Houston Astros and free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran have agreed to a one-year, $16 million deal, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. Beltran previously played for the Astros for a brief stint in 2004 after he was acquired in a midseason trade. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports the deal comes with a full no-trade clause.

The Astros have been all-in in the past two offseasons and made another big splash with a future Hall of Fame talent. The Astros have also added Brian McCann, and Josh Reddick this off-season. They also signed Yulieski Gurriel from Cuba during the 2016 season and made a blockbuster trade for closer Ken Giles last off-season.

With the signing, the question is where will Beltran play? Beltran has played outfield for the majority of his career, but last season had 292 plate appearances at designated hitter. At age 39, his defensive ability is all but gone, which limited his market. Most would expect that he would play the majority of his 2017 season at designated hitter.

However, the Astros acquired McCann this offseason with the intentions of moving Evan Gattis to full-time designated hitter. In the outfield, the team has foundation piece George Springer to go with Reddick, Jake Marisnick, and Nori Aoki. Gurriel will likely play first base but also can slot into the outfield.

If anything, Beltran is sure to add depth to a team that already has a decent amount of it. He can plug into the middle of the lineup, wherever he plays and is a huge power threat. He hit 29 home runs last season and has nine seasons in his career where he hit 20 or more home runs.

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Then there is his postseason presence. For his career, Beltran is a .323 hitter in October and has a 1.078 OPS in 235 postseason plate appearances. The Astros were on the door of the postseason last year, and with a strong off-season should be back in the mix in 2017. The addition of Beltran could go a long way in getting the Houston Astros back into the World Series.

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