MLB Trade Deadline Report: New York Mets Trade Carlos Beltran to San Francisco Giants

Still unconfirmed, but according to Tim Brown, the Mets will trade Carlos Beltran to the Giants for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, according to Buster Olney. Wheeler was ranked 35th on Basball America's mid-season prospect list. Joel Sherman says Wheeler will be the only prospect the Mets receive. It appears the deal is:

San Francisco Giants receive Carlos Beltran and cash to pay for a majority of his salary, while the New York Mets receive Zack Wheeler.

Originally, Gary Brown was believed to be in the deal, but Joel Sherman says neither Brown nor Jonathan Sanchez are included. The Philadelphia Phillies were in the run for Beltran up to the end, but apparently the Giants won the deal.

The Giants have been playing a mixture of Pat Burrell, Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz and Aubrey Huff in the outfield this year, none of which can match Beltran's offensive capabilities. He will slot into the middle of the order and immediately provide a boost to an offense that has scored the second fewest runs per game in the National League.

With only the fading Arizona Diamondbacks still in contention in the NL West, this deal makes the Giants likely playoff-bound and in a position to defend their World Series title.