7:35pm: Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that Beltre will be in the Dallas area tonight in preparation for a physical on Wednesday. MLB.com's Peter Gammons adds that the Athletics offered six years and $76MM at one point, making the Angels the third highest bidder in the division (Twitter link).
12:49pm: The deal is not done, but it could be worth as much as $96MM over six years, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The contract would include a clause that would allow the Rangers to opt out of the sixth year if Beltre doesn't reach a threshold for plate appearances.
10:15am: The Rangers are close to a six-year deal with Adrian Beltre, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Rangers are making progress and that a deal would be in the $90-100MM range (Twitter links). Yahoo's Jeff Passan agrees that the value of the deal will approach $100MM. A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the deal would effectively be for five years with a vesting option for a sixth year. (Twitter link). Agent Scott Boras represents Beltre.
Beltre led the American League in doubles last year and added 28 homers, hitting .321/.365/.553 in 641 plate appearances. He made the All-Star team, won his second career Silver Slugger and played standout defense. The defensive metric UZR/150 suggests that Beltre was significantly above average with the glove (12.7 UZR/150) for the eighth time in the past nine seasons. Beltre, 31, would be 37 in the final season of a six-year deal.
Michael Young said yesterday that he'd be willing to move from third base if the Rangers sign Beltre. Young shifted from second base to shortstop when the Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez and from short to third when Elvis Andrus reached the majors, so position switches are nothing new for him. If the Rangers don't trade him, Young figures to appear in the lineup most days as a DH and utility player.
Young has no-trade protection, $48MM remaining on his contract and ten and five rights that take effect this May. The Rangers discussed a potential deal with the Rockies last month, but the team would have to overcome many obstacles to move Young.
Since the Red Sox offered Beltre arbitration, they will obtain two top draft picks next year. One will be a supplementary first rounder and the other will come from the Rangers. It will be Texas' first rounder as long as the Rangers don't sign Rafael Soriano. If they do sign the closer, the Rays would get the Rangers' top pick and the Red Sox would get their second rounder.
The Angels already missed out on Carl Crawford, so losing Beltre to a division rival would be a considerable blow for a franchise that finished below .500 for the first time since 2003 last year. The A's, another one of Beltre's suitors, will once again face the longtime Mariner as a division rival.
This is the second long-term deal of Beltre's career. He signed a five-year, $64MM deal with the Mariners after the 2004 season. In five seasons in Seattle, Beltre hit 103 homers and posted a .266/.317/.442 line while playing stellar defense (that's 3.4 WAR per season, in case you're wondering).
Boras and Beltre accepted a $10MM offer from the Red Sox last offseason, though other clubs offered more guaranteed money. That decision positioned the third baseman for a considerably larger payday.
PioDeportes first reported the agreement over the weekend.
The post was originally published on January 4th.
Spurned by Lee and felt they where obligated to spend…not a good allocation of money if you ask me.
DUMB move by the Rangers. I suppose that ballpark might help but paying for that walk year at 6 years is insanity. On the other hand, when will people realize Moreno is ALL talk…The guy almost never pays for elite talent. He comes out saying he will but in the end they end up with 2 lefty middle relievers…what a joke. And i’m not even an Angels fan.
He should be productive for the most part, but he most certainly won’t be worth what he is being paid if the article turns out to be true and goes down.
As an angels fan I was hoping we’d land Beltre’ but not for this kind of money.
Its in my opinion a “feel good” move that serves their fans and puts them ahead as the favorites… But that is temporary and in the long term may serve the Angels far better to not have signed him.
Am I disappointed? Yes. Glad we did not commit this kind of cash? Heck yes!
Why? This team has done nothing to improve except add two relievers (who albeit should be pretty good) despite having gaping holes in its lineup. How does Arte saving money to field a flawed team make you feel good as a fan, particularly after all that BS about “spending what it takes”? Are you getting a cut?
true the rangers are grossly overpaying for beltre…we needed a good corner guy, but wow thats soo much to offer to a guy that is going to be more or less an old man by the end of that contract, with little to no chance to trade him to another team for a decent deal. The angels have already and still do have people already like that (young and old). On the flip side its going to be a RUFF season…but if they can hold on till halfway point …maybe ol’ artie has a few tricks up his sleeve ..( Haren deal)
Rangers Stadium is hitter friendly and he will be with Cruz and Hamilton for protection so he will get pitches, should work out well for the Rangers and only bad for Young as he will be the DH now and Vladdy who will now not be resigned even though he did pretty good for them.
It’s hard to believe given everything that they’ve accomplished over the last few weeks but the Red Sox yet again are the winners in the signing getting the Rangers unprotected #23 (I think?) overall first round pick.
#26, but yes this is a huge coup for Boston. Had Beltre gone to the Angels, we were looking at a 2nd (or possibly 3rd) rounder.
3rd rounder if the Angels also signed Soriano, which I have to imagine will now be their focus.
BUST
says the hater
Young is gone.
I thought Young was just going to move to DH. You can forget about Vlad, though.
Maybe a Thome on the cheap and Young at 1st? But yeah, it looks like they wont add another piece.
yeah i can see young moving to 1st. if they can resign Vlad & keep young that linup is scary even scarier than the sox
Right … because you want to have a $16m 1st baseman who can’t post an OPS north of 800?
Let me sum up this signing for you.
1. Rangers overpaid by about $25-$30m (based off the leaks we have seen from other clubs).
2. The Rangers surrender their 1st round pick
3. The Ranges now have a 3/$48m albatross in MY. A guy who can’t play any of his 3 “natural” positions (2B, SS, 3B). A guy who will now be either a utility player OR someone who will be manning 1st or DH with an inadequate bat.
All for what? Beltre maybe provides an extra win or 2. Those wins will come at a cost of maybe $10m each + a top draft pick. Ouch.
As a White Sox fan we have a glaring hole at third. Young would fit great there, but boy we have spent a lot this winter. I would love to trade for him and heck it aint my money. Not sure what we would have to give up since his contract is pretty big and he is past his prime (just sayin’ he is 34). Would the Rangers eat some of that contract?
Huge overpayment, not only on the immediate turn over from last year but the assured degrade over SIX years, I’m thinking albatross, I do agree the Angels are certainly this offseasons losers, rotation and pen solid, yes better than the Rangers, but a dismal look to the offense.
Guess who was 2nd in team scoring in 2009? That’s right – the Angels. Guess how many starters in 2009 are projected to be offensive starters in 2011? Correct again – at least 7. Napoli, Morales, Kendrick, Aybar, Hunter, Abreu, and Rivera are all slotted into starting roles again. Notable absences are Figgins and Vlad (who didn’t contribute much in 2009).
To say the Angels offensive outlook is dismal is taking an extremely pessimistic view. The 2010 Angels were putrid offensively. However, that doesn’t mean 2011 will follow suit.
It is pessimistic but the reality is the aging stars aren’t going to shock us and I question whether the younger players weren’t spurned by the drive for Adenheart and the overall character of the season, for the Angels I hope i’m terribly wrong but last year the offense fell apart, maybe a lull or maybe just the way this offense really is, we’ll see.
Theo and the SOX front office must be pretty happy about this
Are you kidding me? I, ME, I am pretty happy about this!!!
Remember that time the Angels were favored to sign Beltre, Crawford, and Soriano???
Yeah, I do. Good job following through on that, Arte.
This is`not Boston . BUST
Hitting in Arlington with Hamilton, Cruz, Kinsler and Young sounds a lot like hitting in Fenway with Youk, V-Mart, Papi and Drew.
Only thing is Left field is much more difficult to hit them out in Texas than right. I do believe Beltre is a pull hitter.
I would say he is definitely a pull hitter after watching him drop to 1 knee and pull them for HR’s last year. Not sure about his spray chart though.
His HR swing seemed to be pull but he hit plenty of singles and doubles to right.
Beltre has 9 career HRs in Arlington, in 219 ABs.
.306/.336/.521/.857 career line there.
Only thing is Left field is much more difficult to hit them out in Texas than right. I do believe Beltre is a pull hitter.
enjoy living in Texas for the next six years
He doesn’t have to live in Texas 6 months of the year and for the 6 months he does “live” in Texas, he’ll be on the road half the time.
What’s wrong with Texas exactly?
i’ll take that to mean you’ve never been there. my visits have been long enough to know why it costs substantially more to live in California.
You probably aren’t talking about Dallas, because Dallas is one of the most economically sound cities of the entire Western half of the United States. Beltre will be closer to Dallas than any other major metropolitan city. So I’m not really getting your point.
I grew up in So Cal until I was 30. Moved away and don’t miss it one bit. There is life beyond LA/San Diego.
Makes sense to me. No one wants to pay more than 5 yrs 65-70 so give him 6 yrs 90 mil. Boras must know where all the skeletons are hidden.
JPM says 5 years with a vesting option for a 6th. Assuming that the vesting triggers are in the 4th/5th year, that means he’d have to hold up consistent PAs/starts/games played for the majority of his contract to have a shot for a 6th. If JPM is correct, then it doesn’t seem that bad.
I’d much rather see the rangers spend that money on beltre than lee. rangers have always had good offense and pitching has been suspect up until last yr. they’ll be relying on webb and repeated seasons by wilson, lewis.
I’d much rather see the rangers spend that money on beltre than lee. rangers have always had good offense and pitching has been suspect up until last yr. they’ll be relying on webb and repeated seasons by wilson, lewis.
relying on Webb does not sound good
As an A’s fan, I hope those who think Adrian Beltre is not worth it are right. I agree that he’s not worth $90-$100 for 6 years. However, if that theory is wrong, it could be a long 2011 for the A’s (although one guy shouldn’t tip the scales that much).
Michael Young is a push over..he’ll move for anybody…
Young should just be happy to be getting that fat check he is. For the money he is making compared to the production he is giving, he better move wherever they want him to. Next step….bat boy?
Yeah. How DARE he do what’s in the best interest of the team!
The opposite of Michael Young is Oliver Perez, I’m sure hes such a lovable guy….
This makes the Rangers better, but I just don’t see it as that big of an upgrade to justify 90MM. It looks like this was just spending to spend, to make the casual fan happy. That money could have been better spent at the deadline or next years FA class.
Unless they intended to sign Fielder, what exactly would be worth spending money on next offseason?
Who knows what will be available…..My point is, it wasn’t worth spending just for the sake of spending. I do think it makes them a little better, and I do think Beltre will be solid. But could this take them away from a potential “ace” if he is available mid-season because now they won’t be able to sign him long-term? If so then I think it was a mistake. The offense is already set to compete for years to come, they just need that one “ace” to push them over the top again IMO. Or it could take them out of the Fielder/Agon/Pujols sweepstakes if/when they hit free agency.
I personally think it will make them more than a little better, but regardless the only one of those first basemen that is ever going to hit free agency is Fielder and his contract is almost certain to be way, way worse than the potential Beltre deal.
Your point about taking them out of the running for a potential ace is a valid point if it proves to be true, but the new ownership has shown so far that they are willing to do what it takes to win and are willing to spend money so I wouldn’t say that this is necessarily going to take them out of the running on anything. Also, if an ace were to become available it would have to be through trade because there aren’t any set to be available through free agency next offseason (unless Oswalt’s option isn’t picked up or C.C. opts out of the rest of his contract).
Actually, it’s not rocket science to figure out “what (who) will be available.” Players don’t just haphazardly stumble upon free agency. It’s only when their contract expires, which is a known, not an unknown.
Hey, theres “that guy”!!! So you think every player that is scheduled to be a free agent next year will make it to free agency? Ever heard of options? or extensions? Next year COULD be the best first base free agent class of all-time. Most likely Pujols, Agon, Fielder will not all reach free agency. That is where we come to the conclusion we don’t KNOW who will be available. Many of the players that *could* be free agents(their contract *would* expire at the end of this year) will not be available next winter. Thanks for the great input though.
Haha Love the snark. To answer, no, I don’t think every player that is scheduled to be a free agent next year will make it to free agency. Actually, I never said that.
What I did say, however, is that you do KNOW who is going to be a free agent next year.
Yes, you have extensions and options, but thats with the people who are scheduled to be free agents already. You cannot ADD people to the free agent pool if their contract is still intact. That was my obvious point, response to your “Who knows what will be available” comment. Which, again, I will answer, everyone knows what will be available, albeit potentially. Here’s a link for reference!
mlbtraderumors.com/2010/03/2012-mlb-free-agents.ht…
So, captain obvious, I have a question for you, one that you skillfully avoided earlier. Who on that list is worth the kind of money the Rangers would have saved if they do not sign Beltre this off season.
“What I did say, however, is that you do KNOW who is going to be a free agent next year.”
Yes, you did say that. Then the rest of your post is admitting that we don’t KNOW who will be a free agent.
I don’t need to look at the list. I’m not saying there is for sure one player that would be worth spending it on. However, wouldn’t Albert Pujols look good at first base in Texas for the next 7 years IF he becomes a free agent. We don’t KNOW who they could have spent the money on. There will be a whole new group of people available via trade this July. Will this deal cause the Rangers to miss out on an ace that they need? We don’t know.
I never said this was a terrible deal. I said it makes them better. Especially on defense. But on offense, they are adding Beltre’s bat while taking out Vlad’s. To me, that’s not enough of an upgrade to justify this type of contract. Now if they could unload a good chunk of Young’s contract, and bring Vlad back, to me this deal would make alot more sense. We will see though, maybe they are not done yet. The point was I just hope they are not spending just for the sake of spending and keeping the fans happy.
Two things…
1. To lock up Pujols, you would need a lot more $ than what Beltre got. You KNOW that right? heh I’ll restate the question for a third time: Who on that list is worth the kind of money the Rangers would have saved if they do not sign Beltre this off season. Perhaps you should take a look at the list.
2. We know who is scheduled to become a free agent because we know contractual limits/details. Boom. End of story.
Look man, I deal in reality and facts. So we can continue this silly debate by isolating each word from our psots, but the fact is that we do know who is scheduled to become a free agent next year. Yes, there are extensions/options, but those names are subtracted from the list. None are added. Ever. So we always know the free agent class going into an off season.
Next year, there are really top shelf players (Pujols, AGon, Fielder) who the Rangers just would not be able to pry away from other teams (IF they don’t already sign extensions beforehand) because of the arbi raises coming to Hamilton, Cruz, Kinsler, Wilson, etc, etc, AND because of the sheer dollar amount it would require to sign such free agents. And the rest of the free agent class, there is no one that would bring such an impact bat in an area of need the Rangers have as well as Beltre does. Agree?
You don’t know who will be available via trade during the season. This could be the best move for the Rangers, I don’t know, I was stating my opinion just like every other person. You wanted to be a smarty with your “It’s not rocket science” comment, that’s not what I’m here for. I never said “Next year there will be one player that they should commit a huge contract to.” I was saying I felt they would be better served waiting and seeing what is available via trade, or free agency next year. But I can see you will never admit that I have a valid point. You picked one line, out of a post, and tried to make it into what the whole topic was about. I’ll let you have the last word now, this is not what I’m here for.
Hahaha this is the first time the word trade has come up. The topic of conversation all along has been free agency. Nice try backtracking though. I wasn’t trying to be a silly head, I was just pointing out that we have the transparency to know exactly who is scheduled to hit free agency next year. You want to make it about technicalities and such, hence the back and forth. Hey, I admit you have a valid point, I just don’t agree with it. I think there isn’t a player in next year’s FA pool in the 80-100m range better than Beltre for the Rangers. You disagree, yet refuse to provide names. So be it. Cheers.
“But could this take them away from a potential “ace” if he is made available mid-season because now they won’t be able to sign him long term? If so then I think it was a mistake.”
That is taken from from the post you first replied to. So how again is that ONLY about potential free agents? That’s all you seen because you were ready to make your “it’s not rocket science argument” So once again….we DO NOT KNOW who will be available next season.
Cheers.
Hahaha this is the first time the word trade has come up. The topic of conversation all along has been free agency. Nice try backtracking though. I wasn’t trying to be a silly head, I was just pointing out that we have the transparency to know exactly who is scheduled to hit free agency next year. You want to make it about technicalities and such, hence the back and forth. Hey, I admit you have a valid point, I just don’t agree with it. I think there isn’t a player in next year’s FA pool in the 80-100m range better than Beltre for the Rangers. You disagree, yet refuse to provide names. So be it. Cheers.
The point is the list of free agents can’t get bigger only smaller, so we know who CAN make it even if we don’t know who will. Of all the people on the list of potentials the only people worth spending good money on are the three first basemen, Oswalt, and Sabathia. There’s likely about a 2% chance any of Pujols, Gonzalez, Oswalt or Sabathia end up as free agents so that leaves Fielder who is likely going to get something in the area of 6/140 but is a Boras client and is said to be looking for a Teixeira type deal so could realistically end up closer to 8/180. If that’s not an overpay nothing is…
Ah, thanks for that. You put it in a way I wasn’t able to explain. Maybe he understands now…
Also, it’s almost a certainty the option gets picked up, but Cano would also be available, technically. Brings us back to what the Rangers “need” though, and a second baseman it is not, thanks to Kinsler.
Wow, can’t believe I missed Cano on there. But yeah, the Rangers have Kinsler and there’s no chance the Yanks let him go.
Wow, can’t believe I missed Cano on there. But yeah, the Rangers have Kinsler and there’s no chance the Yanks let him go.
I understand we know who *could* be free agents. That wasn’t the point. He wanted to look smart by saying “we know who will be available” when in fact we don’t. Guys can be released, non-tendered, there can be international free agents, so the small technicality he wanted to make me look wrong on, he was way off. And he said in his last post that I had never said anything about trades, when I had mentioned a trade for a pitcher at least twice prior. The guy is obiously out for an argument.
You are correct, however, people who are released or non-tendered as well as *most* international free agents generally only cost a couple mil and the signing of Beltre wont stop them from signing them.
As far as trades go you are correct, this signing could potentially affect that, but it’s hard to say what the owners are willing to do and if they are worth anything they have already taken that kind of stuff into account when they decided how much they were willing to spend on Beltre and if he was worth it to them.
I understand we know who *could* be free agents. That wasn’t the point. He wanted to look smart by saying “we know who will be available” when in fact we don’t. Guys can be released, non-tendered, there can be international free agents, so the small technicality he wanted to make me look wrong on, he was way off. And he said in his last post that I had never said anything about trades, when I had mentioned a trade for a pitcher at least twice prior. The guy is obiously out for an argument.
Acquisitions are only one part of the picture. In the relatively near future, they’re going to have to figure out what to do with Hamilton, Kinsler and Cruz, and also to begin paying mounting arbitration salaries to Andrus. I won’t speak for anybody else, but I would take any one of those players over Beltre — so if this deal so much as hurts the chances of keeping any of those players, that’s a major strike against it.
Let’s also remember that Wilson started for the first time in his career and was suddenly better than he ever was in relief, the exact opposite of how most players’ performances go, and that Lewis was so bad no major-league team wanted him and he went to Japan and came back as one of the most dominant pitchers in the AL. Maybe they really did figure it out. Maybe they really are this good. But for me, until these guys get another year under their belt to evaluate a bigger body of work I find it extremely dangerous to rely on them. Randy Wells was a stud for the Cubs two years ago and he was just plain bad this year — small sample sizes are dangerous.
Not only do they need to figure those players out, they need to make some moves along the way to fill holes as others leave in free agency or to make improvements, like that first baseman or starting pitcher they could probably use. Presumably Young walks in three years and that helps, but I question if it is enough to accomplish all of these goals.
Beltre is not a bad player, and he’s a strong improvement over Young’s defense and probably a small improvement over Vlad’s offense, but I still find him to be a luxury — who, if reports are correct, the Rangers are about to lock up for 5-6 years and $90-100MM and seemingly overpay compared to every other offer out there.
“Is he worth the salary” is only part of the equation; “what else could we have used that money on” needs to be considered too.
That’s true, extensions and raises do happen and I don’t know the extent of what they will cost. The truth is though that the same extensions and raises would have had to have happened if they had signed Lee and I didn’t hear people worrying about them then, granted Lee is a much better player than Beltre but he also would have cost them a lot more money. You also have to assume that the Ranger’s front office realizes that they have extensions and raises coming up for certain players and would have taken that into consideration, again the new owners have so far shown that they are willing to spend and willing to do what it takes to put a winning team on the field.
That’s true, extensions and raises do happen and I don’t know the extent of what they will cost. The truth is though that the same extensions and raises would have had to have happened if they had signed Lee and I didn’t hear people worrying about them then, granted Lee is a much better player than Beltre but he also would have cost them a lot more money. You also have to assume that the Ranger’s front office realizes that they have extensions and raises coming up for certain players and would have taken that into consideration, again the new owners have so far shown that they are willing to spend and willing to do what it takes to put a winning team on the field.
Great News!!!!!!
6 years? ouch.
Texas has/is being BORASed, i’m dissapointed not because i’m an Angel fan but because that douche Boras wins again, to much-to much…
Boras is the best agent out there. If you were an MLB baseball player, I’m sure you would love to have him as your agent
No one is dougting his talents, he pushes players beyond there value, finds suitors willing to pay these ridiculous salaries and drives the value up on all the remaining junk left behind by default, he is a cog in the works of why this sport is either headed for drastic changes or finacial ruin, you can’t keep growing salaries at this rate, think about it…
so he is only hated by fans, owners, writers and 90% of remaining players he doesn’t represent.
How much money has this guy earned over the course of his career? He’s had a number of “contract years.”
if by “a number” you mean 2, then yes. He’s also had 3 (once this is official) contracts since leaving LAD. He was a very solid player while in Seattle if you check out his road splits, he really only had 2 down years out of the 5 and one of those was his contract year.
Moral of this story: Safeco kills good hitters.
I’m a Seattle fan, and if you look at Betlre’s FanGraph value, he earned EVERY bit of his salary in Seattle and then some…one of the ‘few’ contracts that actually worked toward Seattle’s benefit. Since 2004, Beltre’s ‘avg’ annual value has averaged $18.24M/year.
BUT you see those BoSox numbers Beltre put up in 2010? He will replicate those in Arlington AND add to his HR total as well in that little sand box of a park. Texas will get their money worth of Beltre playing 3B. This is a GREAT signing for Texas, and the Angels are literally screwed moving forward with a horrible farm system. Angels are going to have to pickup these FA and spend since the don’t have the farm talent to grab these guys via trade.
This will IMPROVE the Texas defense at 3B substantially over Young, and Beltre will pop 32 HRs at least in 2011 with Texas. Several of you think this is a laughable contract??!! Overpaying?! Wow…he will win them A LOT of games in that lineup and that entire lineup will haunt the AL West over the next 5-6 years. Check their top 6 hitters in their lineup people:
SS Andrus (37 projected SBs in 2011)
DH Michael Young
3B Beltre
OF Hamilton
OF Nelson Cruz
2B Ian Kinsler
THAT is an offensive team you can build your future around!
Nolan Ryan ain’t gonna settle for mediocre pitching either, so you can bet their SP will continue to improve year after year from here on out. Even without Cliff Lee, their rotation looks pretty decent…I’m just hoping Brandon Webb turns out to be another Bedard type production.
The worse thing though?
The Rangers 2010 payroll was right at $64.8M, and “after” the Beltre signing they “still” will be “under” $70M!!! And a TON more money coming off the books next offseason. They are sitting in a great position, and will be tough to beat over the next 5 years as the M’s are attempting to rebuild. The Angels have aging vets, and prospects that were suppose to turn out over the past several years that have fallen on their face. Angels are NOT rebuilding, have 1 top prospect in Trout that is even worth mentioning, and Moreno that WONT spend a dime for top talent…NOT a good combo for the Angels. As a Seattle fan, we have our own problems.
Don’t want to burst everyones bubble about a Beltre signing going to Texas, but there is just no other 3B guy out there that I personally would want to have man our 3B line except for Beltre! All I have to say is it’s going to come back to haunt us for a LONG time! Here’s how I see the division finishing:
#1 Texas
#2 A’s
#3 Tie between Seattle and Angels (Toss up)
There’s still health and continued production questions, I think your being optimistic but we’ll see.
Health?! Beltre is such a gamer that he will play through torn testicles! He finally went on the DL, but that was long after he was playing with the injury. Besides that the guy has been ROCK solid. If I recall right last time he went on the DL was like 2005 or something like that.
I would have loved to send Figgins to Atlanta this offseason and had Seattle resign Beltre for the $15M for the next 5-6 years.
I’m sure Young will go to 1B, and Texas will lowball Vlad for $2-3M or so to comeback to play DH. I can’t see Texas moving Young unless eating half his salary. The Young contract is the question contract…not Beltre’s!
According to Cot’s, the Rangers are currently at $44.8M. Add Beltre at $15M per (6 years $90M) and that puts them at $59.8M. Then they still need to renew contracts a reach agreements on salaries for Hamilton (Arb 2), CJ Wilson (Arb 3), Cruz, Murphy, O’Day (all Arb 1). Hamilton and Wilson alone push them over the $70M mark. It looks like Texas will end up around $80M in 2011, not $70M.
As an A’s fan, it kills me to say this; but I agree with most of what you’re saying. I still think he’s being overpaid. But I think he’ll fit in great with that lineup. And getting to play 81 games in Arlington will likely mean that his numbers won’t dip too much (if at all) from 2010. And that’s not to mention his stellar defense, which I just don’t see declining a whole lot over the course of this contract. (It’s not like he’s a SS, 2B or CF).
What was the last offer from the Angels again?
discounted beer
5/70
Family Four Pack Night and a free Rally Monkey, because, you know, that’s why I go to Angel Stadium.
hah..
well look at the bright side maybe tickets will be cheaper next year
Give it a day or two and they wont have actually ever offered one…
Hahaha well said.
Oh I forgot to mention…with Smoak going to Seattle in the Lee trade, and a ton of salary coming off the books next offseason…expect Texas to go after a Prince Fielder signing for their 1B option:
SS Andrus (37 projected SBs in 2011)
3B Beltre
OF Hamilton
1B Prince Fielder
OF Nelson Cruz
2B Ian Kinsler
DH Michael Young
DAMN PEOPLE! But hey at least us Seattle fans get Smoak for league minimum for years to come right??!!
Now if Rangers can increase payroll to $95-$100M like where the Angels and Seattle are every year, instead of their $64M range that will get them a few more aces that gaurantee a WS presence for years to come.
If they sign Fielder it will be as their DH, I’m sure. So let’s hope that Young/Moreland works out as a 1B this year.
Also, at some point, the Rangers will need to extend Hamilton and Cruz, and that will increase their payroll substantially.
But I agree with much of what you have said. The Rangers are in the drivers seat and positioned to be competitive for several years (now imagine if those young pitching prospects pan out!).
No one is going to sign Fielder to be their DH. Boras is going to be looking for a Teixeira-esque contract, and he’ll get it from a desperate team like Baltimore or Washington.
Maybe not eight years, but something like 6/140 for sure.
or LA with Morales moving to OF
I would rather have rangers get beltre than the angels. Beltre with angels pitching would’ve been by far favored in the AL west. But now rangers pitching still has to prove themselves if they can live up to last year minus Lee. Everyone would probably give the edge to Texas now but I think AL west year will be the most competitive. All teams (expect seatle) seem to be evenly matched.
Can’t imagine this contract being anything but horrible when its all said and done. Beltre has such wild swings in production.
Explain please?
Beltre was a bit up and down in LA, but he was 25 in his final season with the Dodgers. Most guys are in the minors as 20, 21, 22-year-olds. Those were Belre’s first three seasons as a full time big league starter.
After that massive outlier in 2004, Beltre was a model of consistency in Seattle. Look it up.
Then he put up another big year while playing in a hitter’s park for the first time. Not to mention the really good lineup surrounding him.
I guess “wild swings in production” is somewhat accurate. But there are reasons for such swings. Just like every other Beltre naysayer, you should do some research.
Offensively he was slightly above or below average as a Mariner for all but one season. He’s had 2 phenomenal seasons, 3 good ones, and the rest are near or below average. I did my research using wRC+ and wOBA. Defensively he’s been pretty great. I still maintain that a 6 year contract for that kind of money can get very ugly. This all starting at his age 32 season none the less.
Did you see his road splits while in Seattle? He was a victim of Safeco.
No I didn’t. That makes his 06 and 07 seasons look better.
I’m still wary though.
Wow, someone looked into things and adjusted their opinion based on that? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL INTERNET.
If they got rid of all the porn on the internet there would be only one website called bring back the porn dot com.
I’m a Seattle fan and expect us to be in the cellar, but honestly I do NOT see the Angels over the A’s. I don’t even think it will be close. Before the Beltre signing, Seattle actually made the best WAR moves this offseason in the AL West, with A’s coming in 2nd. Angels have done NOTHING, and now there is NOTHING they can do to improve (maybe Vlad again at DH?!) but thats about it. Angels have a horrible weak leftside IF in defense and that’s gonna kill them this year.
Again I say Seattle/Angels will be a tossup for the cellar in 2011.
Kendry Morales is a nice upgrade at first base.
The offensive production from the rest of the infield is going to be miserable though.
And who knows how well Hunter and Abreu will perform at 35 and 36?
You’ve got to like that pitching staff though. Weaver/Haren/Santana/Piniero can give Anderson/Cahill/Gio/Braden a run for their money any day. Especially if the A’s youngsters don’t develop as the A’s hope they will.
I’m NOT impressed with the Angels SP! I’d take A’s SP anyday over Angels. Piniero had 1 fluke year with the Angels, and is only a sub-par SP that I think will get pounded this year. Never been a Haren fan, and that guys needed to stay in the NL. Weaver and Santana would be NO ace on any of the playoff contenders teams last year…at most #2 or #2 depending on what team you compare them to.
Plus, did you notice that the A’s had the LOWEST ERA in MLB last year with their SP and Bullpen??!! Beane’s strength is developing their pitching and have a great farm pitching program to develop their players the best in MLB.
So xub – No I don’t see the Angels giving the A’s a run for their money in 2011. Maybe Seattle, but no other AL West team!
did you notice that the A’s infield defence was awesome?
it might have something to do with the ERA of A’s pitchers
Scoscia and regains have been saying the same thing…how kendry morales coming back is going to fix all the problems..
trust me…i know missing him last year was a huge HUGE deal…but its one man. Him coming back is not going to fix the offense…
Sorry Angel fans…just the way I see it. Welcome to our Mariner world Angels.
DAMN it’s gonna be a long year!
a fluke year for pinerio eh?
maybe, but the way I see it, he could repeat that year just as easy as take the “beating” that your forcasting Dr. 🙂 just the way I see it.
Hey Ranger fans:
Beltre is a .306/.336/.521 hitter in 219 at bats in Arlington. And while a few of those at bats are from interleague games with LA and 2010 games with Boston, I would guess that a vast majority of them are from his time with that little league Mariner offense.
For those of you calling “BUST!” already, do some research. Beltre was a stud hitting in a hitters park in Boston with guys like Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez, David Ortiz and J.D. Drew hitting around him. He’ll most likely be a stud in Texas with guys like Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Michael Young and Ian Kinsler hitting around him.
That said, I do believe that 6/90 is a bit of an overpay, and it’s always scary to guarantee money to any player through his 37-year-old season. Also, of the three recent bidders, the Rangers are the team that needs Beltre the least. But who knows what’s going on behind the scenes. Maybe Oakland never was really “out” and maybe they bumped their offer to 5/80. Who knows?
Either way, if Beltre remains healthy, he’s going to provide elite defense and a very good bat for at least four of the six years. Not bad for $15MM per.
The Devil pulled a nice trick against the Angels there.
Vlad reunion with angels could happen. Manny, Thome is still jobless. Still DH options out there
Can Vlad play 3rd base? Because he clearly can’t play the outfield anymore.
hell no….no vlad!!
I feel like they are overpaying! Massively. This guy is going to be another Alfonso Soriano. Bank on it!
You FEEL like they are overpaying so we should bank on it? Are there any actual stats to back that up?
Arte Moreno ? Because if not, then it’s not your money, but it is your team! Why wouldn’t you want your team to get better ? Don’t you want to get to the post season this year knowing that your offense was the problem last year ?
Agreed. You can’t just sit on your arse when you’re in the same league as the Yanks, the BoSox and now Texas ( with their TV deal ). Moreno was running his mouth on how he would be agressive on the market. reality is: Moreno is acting like a guy who want to buy a porsche but at the price of a Ford escort. i feel for the Angels fans.
The years and money is nuts but getting past that and looking simply at the product on the field I’m not sure how this improves Tex over last season. Michael Young was a hack with the glove and had no range and Beltre will provide a respectable upgrade on Defense but I don’t know if it will off set the offense. Vlad had a great year as the primary DH and I assume that role now goes to Young. Is Beltre/Young any better offensivly than Young/Vladdy? I don’t think so.
Another fun and interesting point is going to be what happens to all these one diminsional DH types on the market? Vlad, Thome and Manny are going to have a hard time finding anyone to pay them anything but low gauranteed money wtih incentives and I wouldnt be shocked if at least one of them gets the Jermaine Dye treatment.
I don’t disagree completely but I think it could be a similar case to the Red Sox going after Gonzalez and Crawford instead of bringing back Beltre and Victor. They probably figured that while it wouldn’t necessarily be an upgrade from the previous years production it would more likely guarantee that production going forward. They probably believe that Beltre is more likely to put up good offensive numbers for the next few years than Vlad would while also providing far superior defense.
I also think the Sox didn’t bring these guys back because they just got 2 guys who are just stepping into their prime and will put up monster numbers at Fenway. Lets face it, if Beltre can hit 30+ HR’s at Fenway, think of the damage A-Gon can do with his tremendous oppo power. and not to mention upgrading Cameron to Crawford is a 10-fold improvement. They will presumably get better numbers from A-Gon and Crawford then from Beltre and V-Mart starting 2011 and into 2018. As for this being an upgrade for Texas, is that a joke? I love the person M.Young, and he’s a class act, but I’m sorry, he’s nothing special ability wise, this is an offensive and defensive upgrade at 3rd, and moving Young to first not only helps with the wear and tear of playing 3B all year, it will most likely improve his power numbers, esp if he DH’s too. Also, the Rangers have some great OF talent in the minors, so giving guys like Nelson and Hamilton a day to DH gives them flexibility, along with Young’s ability to play all infield positions. I do disagree with the amount of years, 6 is far too long, but honestly, its a huge improvement from what could have been.
Rangers and Beltre for $100mil? Guess everything in Texas is BIG, huh—including stupidity.
If this is true, then this is over pay! Especially for a guy who is already 31…that is Scott Boras for you. I love Beltre, but his inconsistency at the plate is not good. He had a great season last year, so this season he is do a down year. Not good at all. I love his defense he will get to 50 more balls and have less errors than Young, but I don’t see that being worth it for the price. If Beltre is a good clubhouse guy, becomes consistent bringing good offense and defense then come down to Texas, but if not please don’t sign him.
This also shows why Young is the team captain. This guy realizes that when a move is made, it is to better the team. If he has to move then Young will do that gladly. Such class. To think the Rangers have a fully team of them is a great feeling, I just hope Beltre doesn’t mess that up.
He has already proven to be another Alfonso Soriano…I feel he will prove to be worse than that.
This Soriano talk is crazy. Beltre plays solid defense, and has hit his entire career. Yes, playing at Safeco took a toll on his numbers but he’s a good hitter and will continue to be one for the next couple of years. He’s not going to be a liability in the field and he won’t suddenly become an all or nothing hitter.
In years 4,5,6 this may look bad, but for the sort term, for a team who’s window is open now, this is a good signing.
Beltre will be successful in Texas because it’s a hitters park. The Rangers should trade Young to the Dodgers now.
I’m sorry? Alfonso Soriano? Am missing something here. Soriano is an inconsistent hitter at best, is somewhat injury prone, and is horrible on defense. Beltre is none of these things. This contract is for too long but the Rangers will get their money’s worth for the first few years.
All this talk about the Angels and all this money they are going to spend in the offseason this year. Did they take a serious run at any of these guys they missed out on? Or was it just to make their fans they were going to try to be competitve in the division again. looks like a rebuilding team to me.
$130MM payroll.
Big money out to 35-year-olds.
$10MM+ out to two starting pitchers
That’s the ugliest rebuild I’ve ever seen.
Maybe he was referring to moving Matthews, despite the Angels having to pay $11.4M in 2011 for Matthews still??!!
That’s not rebulding…that just trying to get anything they can from one of the stupidest signings in Angels history.
Not saying that’s what they are trying for. saying they are not going to compete for the division title and they are not getting any younger. Their farm system is terrible and to be competitive over the next few years they are going to have to spend money in free agency because they just don’t have much help on the way. Trout can’t play all 3 outfield positions at the same time.
That is an awful large payroll for what they have. But big payroll doesn’t mean sucess.
The Angels were at $121M in 2010 payroll, and already at $98M with probably another $12-$15M having to go to their players not counted toward the $98M yet (go checkout COTs).
Having a payroll on the Northside of $100 IS NOT REBUILDING MODE!!! Plus the ONLY prospect in the Angels farm system worth mentioning is Trout! Not looking good for the Angels longterm in my mind.
Where do you draw the line? Payroll doesn’t mean crap if you don’t have the horses. They don’t, they either needed to go all out on free agency and bring in a few of those top players, which they did not this year or they need to trade away some of those old dudes at the deadline for some younger talent.
I did notice that the A’s had the lowest ERA in MLB last year (actually, was it MLB or just the AL? I thought the Giants were better?).
But I also noticed that 22-year-old Trevor Cahill put up a sub-3.00 ERA with a ridiculously low BABIP.
And that Gio Gonzalez stranded a ton of the guys that he walked.
Those two are the big question marks for me. Was Cahill’s 2010 just a BABIP mirage? Can Gio continue to get away with walking so many hitters? After those big questions, can Brett Anderson stay healthy? And can Dallas Braden continue to get by with pedestrian stuff?
As an A’s fan, I’m hoping for the best, but I like to try to be realistic.
You are correct. I purposely didn’t add the arbitration, and knew that would push Texas above the $70M mark. But still, $20M less than what Seattle is paying this year, and far less than that on what the Angels are spending too!
Angels are sitting at approx $98M and they have their top players hitting arb this next week to deal with. Plus COT’s doesn’t have that $98M including the salaries yet of:
Weaver
Kendrick
Aybar
Downs
Napoli
Mathis
Morales
Willits
etc/etc/etc
AND they are still paying $11.4M on the Matthews contract…OUTCH!
Agreed that the Rangers spend less than LAA and SEA…. so what?
Also, it may end up being very close between SEA and Texas (< $10M)
Seattle is just waiting until after 2011 when the rest of Bavasi’s contracts come off the books:
Silva (which includes the Bradley salaries now)
Betancourt
If I recall the M’s have like $20M between the Silva/Bradley/Betancourt salaries.
GOD I can’t wait until next offseason! Plus Mr Z has been rebuilding our Farm System really nicely, so I see the Mariners as big spenders next offseason, and some great prospects to build around. Albeit – NOTHING like the lineup Texas has in offense right now, but starting this year and next these Offensive players are going to get REALLY costly for the Rangers from here on out!!!
Seattle’s prospects are just hitting the seen, or they are locked up:
Smoak
Ackley
Moore (Oliva gives Moore 2 years to adjust)
Triunfel
Pineda
Robles
Nick Franklin (up and coming SS)
We are week at SS and LF. Branden Ryan will play 2B early this year until Ackley’s supertwo status is gone, and then will back up often injured Jack Wilson at SS, and then when Jack Wilson’s $5M is gone in 2012 … Ryan will play 2012 for cheap at SS until Franklin is ready for the Bigs. Regarding LF? I was hoping Seattle would have been in on Crawford and slipping him in the #3 slot after Ichiro and Figgins (oh well). But we can get by with Bradley/Saunders platoon for a year, waiting for Bradley/Silva salary to fall off.
One other option depends upon Triunfel after coming back from a broken leg 2 years ago. “If” he can move to 2B, then Ackley could move back to LF, so the Z man has a number of CHEAP options.
So for the guy above that commented on the Angels “rebuilding”?! What Seattle is doing is the true form of “rebuilding”. 2012 & beyond will be interesting for us.
I’m a Mariners fan too. I wouldn’t necessarily call us weak in left field unless Michael Saunders doesn’t make adjustments hitting left handers. He’s still only 24
id offer mathis and willits next to nothing…mathis maybe a little more then willits…
i like reggie…but and mathis too….would probably have a beer with em and all…but can you say “non-productive”?
scott boras does it again. Gets another team involved, brainwashes the GM (josh daniels), and gets his client what he wants. I don’t understand the move; you’ve got your franchise player at third base. This would be like the yankees signing Beltre and having A-rod be the super-utility guy slash DH. To me this doesn’t make much sense.
Only a few ways for me to appreciate the move
1) to stop the angels from signing him
2) to show the fans they’re serious for another title
3) Vladimir Guerrero broke his leg today and he’ll be out for next season
I mean come on if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
1)With this move you are potentially pulling your franchise player and team captain off the field.
2) Lose a 4 hitter in the lineup, (young,hamilton,nelson,beltre, none of these players are 4 slot hitters.
I can talk about this all day and the more I write, the more this move does not make sense, I’m done!
6 months is still 6 months too many. This is a guy who endlessly exclaimed his desire to live/play on the west coast. Texas may be west of Alabama, but the lifestyle is nothing like living in California. So either he is full of it, greedy, a puppet to his agent… or all 3.
All Boras clients are “puppets to their agent.”
After all, baseball is a business, and Texas gave him the best offer. Texas is also nothing like Alabama, except for the similar accents.
If true the ONLY good news for the rest of the AL West is that this will tie up additional funds the Rangers would use for spending on top SPs.
Beltre was a GREAT team player in Seattle. You don’t have to worry about Beltre’s team work in Texas clubhouse.
The Angels still need a DH, don’t they?
That was supposed to be Abreu’s job next year back when Arte and Reagins sounded like they had a plan and some balls.
Jesus Scott – ANY of those hitters would be a #4 on the Mariner roster … quit complaining … you guys got the division TRUST ME ON THIS!
By the way, I see Young happily moving to 1B, and I’d put money on it that Texas STILL ends up signing Vlad for DH for $2-3M!
I agree, thinking last night, I can see Young moving to first, at least against lefties and playing DH in other games. Plus, he can play second when Kinsler gets injured.
Vlad isn’t signing for 2-3 mil, try 7-9 mil, and with Beltre, Vlad is more of a luxury that is unneeded especially when you could put Cruz in the 4 hole where he belongs and move Kinsler to the 2 spot and Beltre to the 5 spot.
SS Andrus (37 projected SBs in 2011)
3B Beltre
OF Hamilton
DH Vlad (I’m thinking $2-3M)
OF Nelson Cruz
2B Ian Kinsler
1B Michael Young
DAMN
They’re so good they only need 7 hitters?
With that kind of lineup, yes, 7 hitters is enough.
Quite possibly. If Beltre, Hamilton, and Cruz all stay healthy then the middle of the Rangers order could look like a modern murders row.
Certainly not better then what Boston with Crawford/Gonzalez will offer…
Except the Rangers ball park is more of a home run park than Fenway. Between the Red Sox, yanks, and Rangers it’ll be interesting to see which team produces the best offense.
I think the ” patience ” showed at the plate by the Sox will make a difference. They worn out the starting pitcher and then kill the bullpen. Having Ellsbury and Crawford (?) at the #1-2 spot can generate a lot of runs.
Actually I’m thinking the Sox should bat Crawford 3rd. Ells is the only leadoff hitter the Sox have and Pedroia is a natural #2 hitter. If they go the traditional route of batting Gonzalez and Youk in the 3/4 spot then you’re wasting the ability of Pedroia to move runners along or the speed of Crawford.
I’m pretty sure every lineup would be better with their top 7 instead of their complete 9
Vlad should get more than that…he had an impressive year in 2010.
Impressive first half. He was awful and painful to watch past July. It kept Hamilton from having an even better season because every team figured out that Vlad was the easier out and to pitch arounf Hamilton. I will gladly take the Beltre/MY combo over Vlad/MY combo.
Vlad should get more than that…he had an impressive year in 2010.
That lineup may change when Adrian “The human wrecking ball” Beltre is in your lineup. Just ask the Red Sox why they were shuffling for outfielders in 2010.
I think this would actually be a good move for the Rangers. Beltre will provide an upgrade on defense over Young, and because Texas is more of a hitters park than Seattle or LA, he should hit pretty well there. Meanwhile, Young can play first against lefties or full time if Moreland slumps, and he can DH. He can also move back to second if Kinsler gets hurt, a huge upgrade over their options last year.
I still think they will look at bringing back Vlad. Plus, as a Dodger fan, this takes more negative press away from the Dodgers and puts it on the Angels. I understand that Moreno doesn’t like the high cost of free agents. But if you want the player, you’re going to have to pay the price. If you don’t want to go that route, fine, but don’t complain about it, and don’t make a public statement that you’ll spend what it takes to make your team competitive.
Did you notice the A’s lost their Pitching Coach?
Curt Young will be missed, but Ron Romanick will be a more than adequate replacement for him. Trust me on that.
Young from 2B to SS to 3B to DH… next year they should ask him to move to AA bench coach.
Young from 2B to SS to 3B to DH… next year they should ask him to move to AA bench coach.
6 years deal… Well, Texas got a premium defender at 3rd and no doubt that the guy can bat. Moreno, where are you??? Aren’t you tired to look at the parade?
Opt out clause for sixth year doesn’t make any sense. That’s the only year he is going to perform cause its his career year.
God. It’s the year of the overpaid, overextended contract
is anyone else completely baffled about how much money Adrian Beltre is likely going to get? he was clearly a PED user in LA, then landed a huge contract with Seattle, then completely bombed. he had a very good year in 2010 however 16 plus million a year for this guy? i just really dont get it at all. i guess the same can be said for Werths deal though
I thought Tom Hicks sold the Rangers? Surely the new ownership isn’t as incompetent as the old ownership.
I thought Tom Hicks sold the Rangers? Surely the new ownership isn’t as incompetent as the old ownership.
This is a great move for the Rangers, regardless of the overpay. One has to understand, this move doesn’t just cripple the Angels for this year, but for several years. The only elite hitter that is a free agent next season is Fielder (given that Pujols and AGonz receive contract extensions) and they already have a 1b (Morales). So they will have to compete with Boston and the Yanks to convince him to DH, and the Mets, Braves, Cubs, Orioles, and possibly the Dodgers, Athletics, or Rangers will probably offer him a job as a 1b which is what he prefers to DH-ing. Now granted they could move Morales to OF (ouch) or DH but Morales is a better defensive 1b than Fielder.
Why any team would give this inconsistent player a long-term deal at this rate of pay is beyond me.
Simply absurd.
Why any team would give this inconsistent player a long-term deal at this rate of pay is beyond me.
Simply absurd.
Wow Boston is getting made out to look like Bandits! Some Call the Cops cause these suckas just got robbed! I mean…
1st – We sign Beltre to a really cheap deal and he hits like an MVP.
2nd – We trade for Adrian Gonzalez who we will be paying 5.5 – 6.5mish dollars, and gave up 1 Good Prospect and 2 Roll of the Dice Prospects. (Even if they do sign him to an extension they probably would only make this years AVV be at like 15ish Million)
3rd – We signed Carl Crawford right from under the Yankees and Angels nose (I mean honestly you know that Carl Crawford was making atleast 120 – 140 Million from someone) we lose our 1st Round Draft Pick, but then we get one right back!
Go Sox!
I’m not positive, but don’t we receive 2, since we get one from Detroit, for V-Mart, and now Texas for Beltre
I’m not positive, but don’t we receive 2, since we get one from Detroit, for V-Mart, and now Texas for Beltre
Seems like it’s taking a long time for the Rangers to seal the deal. Sounds to me like Boras is using them to drive up the price on the Angels (where I’m speculating is where Beltre really wants to go since he has a home in the area and didn’t take the OAK deal). For that kind of dough, the Rangers can have him. I thought the 5/70 deal was more than fair.
and the angels fail again wow
Yeah why don’t they swoop in and offer 8 years/170 million??????????????
?????
This is an incomprehensibly bad contract. Six years for a 32 year old third baseman with a history of injuries and a spotty offensive track record. Enjoy that.
6 years 96 million? lol
Rangers are piling up offense…again. They learned nothing from the ’90’s.