Will Carlos Beltran Still Hit In Texas?
By Mike Marteny
Texas Rangers add Carlos Beltran to strengthen lineup. What does that do for his fantasy value?
The Rangers officially turned the Yankees into sellers by picking up 39 year old Carlos Beltran. Beltran is hitting .304 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI in 99 games this year. He adds depth to the Texas outfield, but will likely spend most of his time as the DH. Here are the particulars of the deal:
The Yankees are also picking up $2.5 million of the $5 million owed to Beltran for the rest of this season. This is clearly a rental for the Rangers, but they didn’t have to give up a ton to get him. This also concedes that the Rangers weren’t comfortable with Joey Gallo yet. The 22 year old Gallo is just 1-15 this year, but the hit was a home run. He struggled to a .204 average last year in his 108 at bats.
The clear loser of this deal is Gallo. He may stick around on the major league bench, but his at bats wont be plentiful with Beltran around. As for Beltran, he is going to miss the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. In 170 career at bats at Ameriquest Field, Beltran is hitting .300 with nine homers and 40 RBI. It will sap some of his power, but he will likely score more runs and could see an uptick in RBI. If you needed his power, you may want to shop him for a power upgrade. The rest of his numbers will still be good though.
The trade of Beltran also opens up a slot for Aaron Hicks in the short term. Hicks has struggled in his first year in pinstripes, and this could be the only chance he has left. Hot prospect Aaron Judge is hitting .261 with 16 homers and 54 RBI in 370 at bats for AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. If you are in need of power and you have a bench slot, go ahead and pick up Judge. He should be in the bigs in less than a month
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21 year old Nick Green is 2-2 with a 4.98 ERA in seven starts for class A Spokane this year. He has a career 5.15 ERA in 21 class A starts in his three professional seasons. The Yankees liked some of what they saw. If Green is ever a factor in fantasy, it wont be for several more years.
22 year old Erik Swanson is 6-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 starts at Class A Hickory. He has a 3.98 career ERA in the minors, and appears to be a starting pitcher long term. He made his way all the way up to AAA last season in the bullpen. The Rangers were stretching him out at A ball this year. The Yankees will likely do the same. He is good at racking up the strikeouts, but he still wont make the majors for at least two more years.
22 year old Dillon Tate is the prize of this deal for the Yankees. Tate was the fourth overall pick last year by the Rangers. He is 3-3 with a 5.12 ERA for Class A Hickory in 16 starts this year. He is still at least two more years away from the majors, but if he pans out, the Yankees clearly win this deal. However, if Texas makes the World Series, you can argue that it was worth it for the Rangers.