The market for free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre is hot, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, and the Orioles "seem very interested." Heyman tweets that a dozen teams are interested in the Scott Boras client. Last week Boras told MLB Network Radio hosts Casey Stern and Jim Bowden regarding Beltre, "I would have to say in my years of doing this I’ve never had so much interest in one player." Heyman believes Beltre could be the first star to go off the board, but I'd still be surprised to see him sign before December.
In addition to the contract, the Orioles would have to surrender their second-round pick to sign Beltre. There is recent precedent for that; they gave their second-round pick (#53 overall) to the Braves a year ago to sign Mike Gonzalez.
Beltre, ranked third on our Top 50 Free Agents list, is far and away the best available third baseman this winter. In addition to the Orioles, the Red Sox, Angels, Blue Jays, Indians, Athletics, and Giants could be looking for help at the hot corner. Even the Pirates were said a week ago by Heyman to have interest in Beltre, but not all the clubs named here will be willing to go four or five years at $15MM or more per season.
Let me guess.Heymans top 5 to sign Beltre are Pirates,Royals,O’s,Padres,Marlins?Haha
more like:
1. Red Sox
2. Orioles
3. Mystery Team
4. Mystery Team
5. Mystery Team
i like mystery team’s chances
I have to believe the Angels are an interested team. He’s got punch, plays great defense at a position where they could use an upgrade, and at 32 he’s young enough to be good for a few years.
I am petrified we’re going to get the Toronto Treatment and have half our free agents sign with teams with a protected pick or a higher ranked free agent signing.
Boras will just take his client Beltre to the highest paycheck period, so who knows. Maybe Oakland will pay more, but it is hard to figure out Vmart really.. Detroit is a strange one, cause he wants to win. Even Texas would be a better place and it looks like from what we been seeing that he is after only dollars right now also and relegating himself to losing for the foreseeable future also.
This is not necessarily true. The A’s reportedly offered Beltre 3/$24M last winter, but he took 1/$9 + a player option from Boston instead.
That was to build himself up for this big time deal also that he is about to get, coming off the injury season in Seattle to go to Boston last year where he figured could pump up his stats. Now he has set himself up for a mega payday and I really doubt he is going to take anything less than the lowest dollar out there, even if some place like SD was for some miraculous reason offer it and that grand canyon of a stadium managed to come up with the dollars required.
Baltimore would be a NICE place to hit, no doubt for Beltre, but as far as him making to playoffs for the near future with Boston, NYY, even Toronto in the same division.. Well the chances are about nil and not saying that as disliking them, just even though they seem to have a good young core, but they will be terribly outspent by both the NYY and Boston, both teams have an at least equally adept farm system and toronto can match them with the farm as well. The deck is just stack too far against them if Beltre signs with them for the O’s PO hopes, unles Angelos goes out and gets a lot more to go with him.
Still see VMart as a strange sign as for the reply below. The twins are still better than the Tigers in the central with Vmart it looks like and will take probably 5 years to get him signed, though granted other than the Twins, that division is lacking.
I don’t see Detroit as a strange destination. The AL Central is one of the more wide open divisions and getting a few key free agents could help them compete next year.
He’s not going to the Orioles. Even if they pony up the most money (they’ll make a strong offer, but not the best), he would sign on with a contender. And really, is there any better “fit” than Beltre playing for the Angels?
The better “fit” would be in Boston as was shown last season. Boston certainly has the money to pull it off.
Can someone explain how the draft picks work? If the Red Sox offer him arbitration and he rejects it (obviously), then the Red Sox will receive 2 draft picks from the signing team (Beltre is a Type A). But I keep reading that if a player signs with a new team AFTER November, then NO draft picks are surrendered by the signing team. Is that right?
I tried posting a link to the glossary on MLBTR but I’ll try to explain it briefly.
If a free agent signs before Dec. 1 then the ‘losing’ team is guaranteed a compensation pick. It all depends on who signs the FA, what other FAs they sign, and the Type status of the player.
Prior to December, the former team does not have to offer arbitration in order to net draft picks, but are obliged to offer arbitration after the set date. If they refuse, the incumbent team can acquire the free agent without giving up draft picks. That is why they are little to no signings prior to no signings before December, teams are pendant on players who are offered or not offered arbitration…
If Beltre signs with another team after rejecting Boston’s offer of arbitration, that signing teams hands Boston its first-round pick, unless it was one of the 15-worst teams in 2010, in that case they hand Boston their 2nd-round pick. Then a Boston pick gets added to the supplemental first round. This pick comes from thin air, no one ‘gives it up’.
The ‘November’ thing is for players that sign with a team before the arbitration deadline. If that happens, then the above scenario occurs regardless of whether Boston offered arbitration or not.
Cool, the Angels were the 14th worst team, I’ll take Beltre for a 2nd rounder
ill take crawford as well, he is ranked higher which means that boston gets a 3rd rounder. oh soo sad 🙁
or even soriano, he is ranked higher as well
Cool, the Angels were the 14th worst team, I’ll take Beltre for a 2nd rounder
Beltre will be an Angel. Boras is at every Angel home game. He and Moreno are tight.
Can people seriously just stop operating under the delusion that Boras’s personal relationships have ANYTHING to do with where his players will go?
Beltre will sign with whomever gives him the best overall offer. Boras being besties with Moreno or having a lot of players on the Tigers will have absolutely zero bearing on where his clients sign. Believing otherwise is the heigh of ignorance. It’s actually even more laughable than the dolts going around after 2009 claiming the Sox would never sign another Boras client because of the Teixeira negotiations (We’ve since signed two or three Boras clients).
Now, I do think Beltre will sign with the Angels, but only because I think they’ll offer the most money, not because of any personal relationships Boras has.
It was a sarcastic comment. Boras and Moreno are businessmen. Both you and I have no idea about their personal relationship. To think that you do is the pinnacle of ignorance.
Apologies. I jumped the gun. It’s one of those things where it shows up on here in all seriousness enough for it to be taken seriously and it’s one of those things that ranks up there with “Papelbon and Dice-K for Hanley!!1 get it done theo!”
That post showed a lot of class. You’re a rare one. Good on ya, Obby!
It was a sarcastic comment. Boras and Moreno are businessmen. Both you and I have no idea about their personal relationship. To think that you do is the pinnacle of ignorance.
Beltre will be a/an (player for whichever team offers the most years/money). Boras is a damn good agent. He and any owner who ponies up enough money are tight.
LOL, Boras and Arte are tight… yeah right!
i think we have different definitions of “tight”
If someone goes 5/$75mm on Beltre, they can have him. He’s outstanding, and I’d love to have him back, but 4/$48 is about as much as I’d go on him. I guess the Sox are in a much different situation, though, since they have Youk who can move from 1st to 3rd. Just seems like $15mil a year is pricey for Beltre.
I can’t see Beltre taking less than $15M per unless that’s the best he can get.
At this point, I’m expecting the Sox to put up the first offer, but that Beltre will decide between four years, $60M and winning in Anaheim and five years, $75M and losing in Baltimore.
Baltimore’s record under Showalter: 34-23 (.596)
number of times the Angels have surpassed that winning percentage in franchise history: 2
just saying 🙂
How many times have the Angels surpassed that winning percentage in the span of 67 games is the real question.
Edit: Its 57 games lol an even smaller sample size.
Number of times Baltimore has finished over .500 in the last decade: 0
Number of times Anaheim has finished over .500 in the last decade: 7
Number of teams over .500 in the AL East in 2010: 4 of 5
Number of teams over .500 in the AL West in 2010: 1 of 4
Percentage of situations in which it makes sense to use a large sample size: 100%
Percentage of situations in which it makes sense to use a small sample size: 0%
Just saying 🙂
the angels weren’t that team from the west….
Did you not understand the meaning behind that statement? It is far easier to win the AL West than even compete in the East… It doesn’t matter that they weren’t the team that was over .500.
I cannot believe, as HORRIBLE as Michael Young is at third, that Texas wouldn’t also have some interest.
I wonder how many times Boras has planted this “level of interest”??
Beltre will make a ton of money and then tank it like he usually does. He only plays when it’s time to get paid. Good luck to the sucker that signs him.
zartan – you are all over this one. Angels seem to be a fit but Mike S. will have alot to say about it. If I were any team stay with one year deals on him.
You are absolutely correct! Beltre had some eye popping numbers in 2010. The last time he had these type of numbers? … 2004 in his first free agent year. Look for a .270 average with 25 homeruns type of player starting in 2011 until his next free agent year. Those really aren’t bad numbers, but are they worth the $20 million per year that Boras is trying to get for him?
Boras plays every angle. Sometimes he sounds like a carnival barker. As a ballclub you have to ignore the hype and bid what you think he’s worth to you. He’s worth a lot to a contender like the Red Sox because their aren’t many good alrenatives and it would leave Youk at first. Pony up Larry.
I say he goes to the Angels! 4yr 45mill(11.25 per)
I doubt that, that sounds like a potential steal for them. Whoever gets Beltre will likely have to overpay. He’s worth about that, but in a free agent market this thin, someone’s going to offer more.
He declined 10mill from the Red Sox. Hes not going to sign for 1.25 mill more, he wants at least 15mill per in my opinion.
Would the Pirates shift from cellar dweller to contender if they sign Uribe (SS) and Beltre (3B)? It would fix a lot of issues.
No, a team must have pitching to win over 162 game season. Pirates have no pitching.
Upon first glance your post made it look like you meant a team must have pitching to win 162 games in a single season. That would be one good staff!
If Uribe is somehow willing to leave SF, then I would love for the Pirates to sign him.
why arnt the blue jays in on this?
The Blue Jays are listed, but realistically I don’t think it makes sense at this point to sign someone like Beltre.
Last I heard, they are.
Jays don’t like beltre’s OBP…. its too high
I think it’s crazy how all the G.M.’s know he is come overly priced and likely will drop off his totals from last season but yet they are willing to overpay just so someone else does not get him. If I am Boston and I offer a fair deal and he keeps wanting more, let him walk. Same with Victor. Don’t make a stupid offer, make something deserving but don’t overpay to keep him away from someone else. It’s crazy to let agents get by with this.
Heyman is known Boras shill and I doubt there are actually as many teams interested as he says there are … unless you resort to counting Boras’ fictitious mystery teams.
O’s…..4/60 or 4/68 is the highest
MacFail aint paying what it takes to get Beltre.
MacFail aint paying what it takes to get Beltre.
It hasn’t been mentioned enough the Beltre is a classic contract year player. His best two seasons were contract years, the rest were mediocre at best. Watch paying this guy big bucks is all I say. Unless you can get him for a one year deal (no chance).
Orioles need this trade to have a chance on a world series . I think they give up Davis bundy money and get him window is closing and god knows they need the glove and ba. Beltre is the only hope