Free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre has drawn interest from the A’s. He’s drawn interest from the Angels. But if Sunday’s rumors are correct, he may soon be ending up in Texas.
Adrian Beltre Nearing Agreement With Rangers, Says Report
Earlier Sunday, Jon Morosi tweeted that the Rangers and Beltre have been talking. And then later on, Enrique Rojas wrote up the following report for ESPN Deportes [poorly translated]:
ORLANDO - The Texas Rangers and the Dominican free agent Adrian Beltre are close to completing a multiyear deal, a source told ESPNdeportes.com.
...
"They are still talking, have not completed the details, but an agreement appears imminent," the source told ESPNdeportes.com. Another source said the contract probably will be for five years and an option for 2016.
We’ll have to wait and see if anything comes out of this, but if the report is true, then it will be a boon for the Rangers and a big blow to the Angels. If they lose Beltre, the Angels will have missed out on top free agency targets Beltre and Carl Crawford. The Rangers, meanwhile, would upgrade both offensively and defensively, stealing a star player who has long seemed destined for Anaheim.
The reports have Beltre signing a five- or six-year contract worth $15-16 million per year. With Beltre at third, the Rangers would presumably shift Michael Young to DH, where he would take over for Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels, meanwhile, would be left with Brandon Wood, Maicer Izturis, and Alberto Callaspo as in-house options for the hot corner.
In a big bounceback year with the Red Sox, Beltre batted .321 last season with a .919 OPS and phenomenal defense. Stay tuned, as we should find out if he’s headed to Texas before too long.
See More:
