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Mets Trade Rumors: Possible Destinations for Carlos Beltran

By Satchel Price

This morning, the New York Post's Kevin Kernan reported that the Mets are beginning to receive calls on right fielder Carlos Beltran, confirming previous reports that the team is open to trading their star outfielder. Beltran is currently owed roughly $8.5 million through the end of the season, so teams that lack financial flexibility likely won't have interest unless the Mets show a willingness to eat a significant portion of his contract.

But the 34-year-old is a legitimate impact bat, with a .285/.373/.506 line on the season, and there are few alternatives on the open market that can match his power output. Basically, teams will be interested even with the price tag; here are a few clubs to keep your eyes on.

  • Cincinnati Reds: The Reds are set in right, but they could use another bat and Beltran could easily slide over to left field. They've actually gotten solid production from Jonny Gomes and Chris Heisey thus far, so they may not have interest given Beltran's salary, but they have the young players to interest New York, and could easily convince the Mets to take on some salary if they're capable.
  • Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox are apparently prioritizing position players over pitchers on the trade market this year, so Beltran makes sense for them in many regards. They have the resources to acquire and pay the outfielder, and he'd shore up arguably the iffiest spot on the field for them right now.
  • San Francisco Giants: It's not likely, particularly once Mark DeRosa and Brandon Belt come off the disabled list, but the Giants are searching for bats and Beltran is one of the key guys on the market. They'd presumably rather address their catching situation first, and they've apparently been eying some backstops from the NL Central lately,  but Beltran would qualify as an impact acquisition.
  • Seattle Mariners: They're kind of fringe contenders at this point, but they're only three-and-a-half games out of first place in a four-team division, and Beltran would give the offense an obvious boost. It's not clear whether they're buyers or sellers, but they could really use another bat to help the offense; we'll see how much Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager can do.

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