So who wins the Carlos Beltran Sweepstakes?

San Diego really needs another starting pitcher more than a hitter.

The Dodgers are for sale, so I doubt that they would trade for a player that they could only use for the rest of the season or tie up in a huge contract (then again the Red Sox sold after they signed Ramierez for too much money).

The Yanks going after Beltran makes more sense than going after some of the veterans they have signed of late. I think they need to get a starting pitcher more than another outfielder, but at least Beltran is a centerfielder, so that might fix a defensive problem.

SF is the team that really, really needs to get a hitter, but they seem to be stingy with the checkbook, which is suprising considering how well many tickets they have sold in the past few years. I guess they are nostalgic for that empty stadium feel they used to get quite often at Candlestick.

The Red Sox are not going to trade or sign for another big contract outfielder/hitter until Manny is gone.

if the a's traded for him it would be a rental + draft picks thing. i think they're a long shot as well.

With the O's playing well and seemingly on the upswing, I suppose that wouldn't be out of the question.

Maybe Pudge and his agent will talk him into going to Detroit.

earl -- the Giant's company line is that the stadium mortgage has the team in the red, though the claim that even with ~3 million tix + naming rights = negative has me raising the People's Eyebrow too.

david, i'd love to hear your "take". as far as i know that's all fact.

the point is that johnson, soriano, and claussen all had far more value than what the red sox gave up (and god, sori + johnson, that was just insane! let's remember that the yankees ended up trading johnson alone for vazquez, a pitcher a decade younger than schilling, and that was still overpayment [where overpayment = paying more than vazquez was objectively worth - the yankees gave up near-equal value in a salary dump, folks, injury-prone player or not. that hasn't happened in a long time (ever?) and won't happen again anytime soon.]) and there was plenty of "in-between", even given the shoddy state of the yankees farm system. supposing the reds were limiting themselves to "left-handed pitching prospects" - that's stupid in and of itself; it's even dumber when one considers that they yankees still had other chips to offer even with that limit imposed (brad halsey and sean henn, at least). plus, trading for a non-hotshot pitcher in single A is idiotic if you're looking to address a need on the ML club, when there's certainly no guarantee he's even going to make the bigs, much less within the next couple years.

My personal bet is the ownership are making up revenue lost in other enterprises. They wouldn't be the first, the worse of this bunch was Art Modell with the Browns.

CB was quoted saying awfully nice thing about the Yankees to the NY media when the Mets were in KC. I expect another winter windfall in the Bronx, regardless of who rents him this summer.

"Beltran just might be the most overrated player in the majors today. ...he's got pinstripes written all over him."

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/178504108/carlos-beltran-hof-400-home-runs-yankees

His WAR ranking among center fielders suggests can't-miss, but I sort of resist. The two things that bother me are the itinerant nature of his career (if you're Rickey Henderson or Adrian Beltre, no problem; with Beltran, I can see where it might matter), and the fact that he hasn't done a whole lot since his age-31 season--his two years with the Cardinals were good, not great. Ballot timing may be the deciding factor, I don't know.

why does the itinerant nature of his career bother you (because it shouldn't)

I do think a player's story line is a part of the Hall of Fame equation and you have to admit, being a guy associated with 1 or 2 clubs especially if you won is a positive measure on voting. On that note, I would think Beltran's playoff exploits will be one item on his resume.

Carlos Beltran has had a nice recovery in his career, he looked to be beat up and done at one point in his early 30s. While no longer top player in the game, he has been a very solid and consistent bat. The guy was supremely talented, he excelled really at all parts of the game, not really any flaws at his peak. I think that is notable too.

I think Duke Snyder seems to be a very similar player, overall. While Billy Williams was primarily used in LF, I'd say he is probably somewhat similar to Beltran. Beltran's peak seasons are perhaps a bit better but Williams was healthier and more consistent.

I shouldn't have used Beltre as an example of moving around--he's primarily split his career between three teams, perfectly normal nowadays. Better examples would be Gary Sheffield or Kevin Brown, and I'm guessing they were hurt to a degree with HOF voters because they weren't strongly identified with one or two teams. (Bizarrely itinerant: Kenny Lofton. Ten years with one team, one year with 10 teams.)

Maybe it shouldn't matter. Someone always wants you. Someone else doesn't want you enough.