Carlos Beltran Rumors
By Editorial Staff
While the free agent market has picked up steam since last week’s Winter Meetings, one player has yet to receive much attention this offseason. Carlos Beltran was seen as one of the largest acquisitions during last summer’s trade deadline, but the slugger has yet to draw much interest now that he’s hit the open market. With an apparent run on outfielders beginning, things could certainly change in a hurry for free agents such as Beltran. Yesterday, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reported that at least five teams have expressed interest in Beltran. Let’s take a look at all the latest Carlos Beltran rumors.
According to Miller, only three of the clubs pursuing Beltran are known at this point. The Colorado Rockies, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays are all seen as the frontrunners in the Beltran sweepstakes.
The Rockies have made it known for some time that they are looking for an outfielder this winter. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week that Colorado’s “goal is to sign either Beltran” or fellow free agent outfielder Michael Cuddyer this offseason.
After losing out on Albert Pujols, the Cardinals have some extra money to play around with. The franchise has indicated that it will reallocate the money intended for Pujols this offseason. If they are going to spend it, they better do so fast before all of the impact free agents flee the marketplace.
Beltran is one of the few impact bats remaining, so it makes sense St. Louis has expressed interest. However, the Cardinals may not merely be checking in on the outfielder, as Buster Olney of ESPN calls St. Louis a “serious entity in the Carlos Beltran talks”.
The Blue Jays are the newest team to have their name tied to Beltran. Toronto’s already added Ben Francisco to a crowded outfield this offseason, but the Blue Jays may be interested in trading one of their young players for pitching.
Now that Josh Willingham has a deal in place with the Twins, the free agent market for outfielders figures to develop quickly.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.