 Charles Rex Arbogast/AP |
Adrian BeltreThirdbaseman |
There were murmurs in September that Adrian Beltre does not want to play for a team in rebuilding mode, which might be the case with the Mariners in 2009. Whether or not he is truly available is unclear, but that's never stopped us from speculating before.
Positives: As you can see, he's an excellent defensive 3B - one of the top 2 or 3 in the league. Bringing him in could gain the Reds as much as 40 runs on defense alone at 3B. He's got some pop from the right side and could potentially slug .500 in GABP. His one year contract is low risk for the Reds, even if it seems like a large amount of money to spend. Unless the Reds re-sign him, he won't likely block the young 3B prospects the Reds have in the minors.
Negatives: On a team already looking like they'll struggle to get on base, Beltre isn't going to help. Trading for Beltre may cost the Reds a good prospect or two, and since the Reds will need help beyond Beltre, losing prospects for a one-year rental may not be worth the risk. I don't know much about Beltre's personality, but for some reason I seem to remember him being somewhat surly (correct me if I'm wrong, please).
Possible Alternatives: Mark Teahan (KC), Joe Crede (Free Agent), Casey Blake (Free Agent), sticking with EdE.
Fun Fact: The last time Beltre was playing for a contract, he batted .334/.388/.629 for the Dodgers and hit 48 home runs while finishing 2nd in the MVP race.
Who would you be willing to give up to acquire Beltre? Would you want the deal to include a contract extension right off the bat? If you think he's worth acquiring, try to make your deal suggestions realistic from the Mariners perspective (i.e. don't give them somebody to replace Ichiro since he's not likely to go anywhere soon). If you don't think he's worth acquiring, is it because you think the Reds are set at 3B or because you don't particularly want Beltre?