With MLB free agency set to turn up a notch soon, here are five potential landing spots for Carlos Beltran.
Carlos Beltran had a resurgent offensive campaign last season, with a .295/.337/.513 slash-line, 29 home runs and 93 RBI over 593 plate appearances (151 games) with the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. After disappointing seasons in 2014 (.233, 15 home runs, 49 RBI) and 2015 (.276, 19 home runs, 67 RBI) with the Yankees, Beltran is hitting free agency on a high note.
Beltran will turn 40 soon after the start of next season (April 24), so he’s best-served staying in the American League where being a DH is an option. As expected, Rob Bradford of WEEI has reported four AL teams have the most interest in Beltran right now. At this early stage nothing can be ruled out, but it seems Beltran will not linger on the market for very much longer.
For teams that don’t have a great chance to sign free agent hitters like Edwin Encarnacion, Yoenis Cespedes and Jose Bautista, Beltran is among the cheaper viable alternatives. Here are five potential landing spots for the veteran switch-hitter.
5. New York Yankees
Bradford’s report suggested the Yankees are among the aforementioned teams that are in on Beltran. They obviously have some recent familiarity with him, and his production early in the 2016 season allowed them to swap Beltran to the Rangers for three prospects at the trade deadline.
The Yankees recently traded veteran catcher Brian McCann to the Astros, which clears an opportunity for Beltran to DH regularly. There are also a trio of unproven options in right field right now, with general manager Brian Cashman previously suggesting Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Rob Refsnyder are all in the mix there heading into next season, so Beltran can provide some stability even if he’s only a part-time outfielder.
The Yankees have seen the best and worst of Beltran over the last few years, so their interest in him is noteworthy on a certain level. The friendly confines of Yankee Stadium, and other hitter-friendly parks in the AL East, can provide a soft landing spot for Beltran to remain a productive player.
4. Kansas City Royals
This is the feel-good team on this list. Beltran started his career with the Royals, winning American League Rookie of the Year in 1999, before being moved at the 2004 trade deadline.
But the Royals also have a significant void to fill offensively, with the free agent departure of Kendrys Morales after a very productive 2016 campaign (30 home runs and 93 RBI, .795 OPS). Morales saw most of his time last season as Kansas City’s designated hitter (138 of 154 games), but his three-year, $33 million deal with Toronto was clearly a little rich for the Royals to seriously compete with.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore has suggested the team’s payroll is likely to drop heading into next season. Allowing Morales to move on, with nothing more than rumored “definite interest”, fits that mold. Beltran is seven years older than Morales, but he’s also a cheaper option for the Royals if they want to bolster the middle of the lineup via free agency.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
With the aforementioned signing of Morales, the Blue Jays appear to be preparing for the prospect of losing both Encarnacion and Bautista in free agency. Morales is an option to DH and split time with Justin Smoak at first base, in Encarnacion’s stead, but if Bautista goes elsewhere a serious void will be left in right field as well as in the middle of Toronto’s lineup.
Beltran can help fill the power void left by Bautista and he, like Morales, provides the added lineup flexibility of being a switch-hitter. Exactly how at-bats at designated hitter would be divided between Morales, Smoak and Beltran is unclear, but Beltran did play a total of 69 games (67 starts) in right field last season and managed to avoid significant injury.
If defense in right field matters much to the Blue Jays, Beltran was not dramatically better or worse than Bautista was in 2016. It stands to come down to term and total money in a contract, no matter who the Blue Jays sign. So they could move quickly toward Beltran, if and when their chances to retain their own free agent sluggers fade.
2. Houston Astros
The Astros are one of the teams with reported interest in Beltran at this point, and Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported they were already “hot” for him last week. Houston acquired Beltran from the Royals at the trade deadline way back in 2004, under a different front office regime obviously, and his great postseason run that year helped him get a nice contract from the New York Mets the following offseason.
Astros’ general manager Jeff Luhnow has suggested an aggressive approach for the team this offseason, with adding a bat or two a potential focus. Beltran could fit as an outfielder/DH type, and he may be a solid veteran influence for young stars like George Springer and Carlos Correa.
It’s unlikely the Astros can compete financially with some other teams on this list. But Houston could be very appealing from Beltran’s perspective, and all other things being equal he could consider taking a lesser contract if he likes the situation there.
1. Boston Red Sox
David Ortiz has now officially retired, so the Red Sox are looking to fill their full-time DH spot for the first time in seemingly forever. That leaves aside how well Ortiz produced in his final season, as he hit .315 with 38 home runs, 127 RBI, 48 doubles and a 1.021 OPS, and the void he leaves behind in the middle of Boston’s lineup.
Being able to DH most of the time, if not all the time, would be a great thing for Beltran. Mookie Betts may also need an occasional breather in right field, so Beltran can help some there without a lot of drop-off offensively.
Next: MLB free agency 2017: 5 potential landing spots for Mark Trumbo
The Red Sox don’t seem likely to break the bank to get Ortiz’s replacement, if team president Dave Dombrowski is to be believed. If they aren’t willing to make an exception and go after Encarnacion with a lucrative long-term offer, Beltran is a perfect consolation prize for the Red Sox. Quite frankly, he looks like a better fit too.