Looks Like Carlos Beltran to be Traded to Giants
Reports were flying fast and furiously Wednesday afternoon that the Mets and Giants have agreed to a trade for Carlos Beltran. The Mets will reportedly receive Zack Wheeler, whom Joel Sherman of the New York Post describes as “one of the best pitching prospects in the majors.” Sherman also tweets that the Giants will pay part of the $6 million Beltran is due over the rest of the season.
Nothing will be official because of the 24-hour waiting period required because of Beltran’s 10-and-5 rights. But if it does happen, this is a deal that works for both clubs. The Mets get an A prospect who could be a front-line starter. And they get some salary relief (gee, who said it was not necessary for the Mets to pay his entire salary, and was roundly criticized for it?).
As for the Giants, they really need Beltran. They have absolutely no hitting. The fact that they are in first place and playing so well is a direct result of their incredible pitching. They were able to ride that to a World Series championship last season. What are the odds they could have done that two years in a row?
The other teams pursuing Beltran already have hitting — Beltran would have just been gravy. No, the Giants truly need Beltran, which is why they blinked. Well played, Sandy Alderson.
this is definitely a plus in alderson’s book. i like what you write a lot, but i remember you wrote something along the lines of “…keeping beltran wouldn’t be so bad.” beltran needed to be traded, the mets are sadly out of it, and alderson did a great job getting a good amount back for him, even if it’s just one guy. the mets have too many decent prospects in the minors, that’s why they keep coming up and failing in the majors.
If the Mets were only going to get back a low-level prospect AND pay all of Beltran’s salary, then I would have rather kept him. That would have been better than giving him away for nothing, which is what a deal like that would have been. But Alderson played it tough, and got a top-flight prospect and some salary relief. Excellent job.