New York Yankees Rumors: Carlos Beltran signed with the Houston Astros but it does not sound like the Yankees made a real effort to bring him back.
New York Yankees rumors continue to roll in as MLB Free Agency continues. This time it is Carlos Beltran the center of attention. Beltran was a player that the Yankees were looking to sign to help fill the void left by the trade of Brian McCann.
New York will have to look elsewhere. Beltran will be joining McCann, as he was signed by the Houton Astros to a one-year, $16 million deal. Buster Olney first reported the signing, including that Beltran landed a full no-trade clause.
With Beltran in the fold, the Astros have a very formidable lineup as Olney points out. There will be no easy outs one-through-nine as they are loaded with a mixture of up-and-coming young talent and productive veterans.
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Beltran is the third veteran bat that the Astros have added to their lineup this offseason already. In addition to the trade for McCann, the Astros also signed Josh Reddick to help fill out their outfield. The Astros didn’t have to give up much to acquire those veterans, as Beltran and Reddick were not allowed to be extended qualifying offers and McCann didn’t require a huge package to acquire.
Many people will see this as a blow to the Yankees offseason plans. Beltran was someone they liked, as he could help fill in at DH and sporadically help in the outfield. But, it doesn’t sound like the Yankees are hurt too much by Beltran signing elsewhere.
According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, the Yankees were only kicking the tires on Beltran. Despite being one of the teams rumored to be in on him, the Yankees never extended a formal offer to their former player.
That is a bit of a surprise to hear. The Yankees liked Beltran and he was one of the better hitters available this offseason. He only received a one-year deal, so the contract demands should not have deterred their interest much. Maybe the Yankees feel there are better options that fit what they are trying to do this offseason.
Beltran will be returning to the Astros, where he played out the finish of the 2004 season. He finished that season on a tear, slashing .258/.368/.559 with 23 home runs, 53 RBI, and 28 stolen bases in 90 games and 333 at-bats.
That production carried through into the postseason, where Beltran was even better. In 12 games Beltran went 20-for-46 with eight home runs, 14 RBI, and six stolen bases. He drew nine walks as well, putting him on base more than half of his plate appearances that postseason.
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That performance helped Beltran land a monster seven-year, $119 million deal from the New York Mets that offseason. The Astros will be the sixth team that Beltran is on in the past six years.