Boston Red Sox: Could Adrian Beltre return to play third base?
The Boston Red Sox need to address third base, and since the Rangers look like sellers a return to Boston could happen for Adrian Beltre.
As the July 31st MLB trade deadline approaches, could the Boston Red Sox explore the return of Adrian Beltre? It seems unlikely, but it is an option as the club relies on Deven Marrero at third base.
Yahoo‘s Tim Brown presented the case for Dave Dombrowski to contact the Texas Rangers about the 38-year old Beltre, and I do like some of the points he made.
Beltre played for the Red Sox in 2010, and he’s always been a guy that I wish stuck around a bit longer. Even with his age, he’s still a very productive player. In 2017 Beltre is hitting .281 (his career average is .286) with 8 home runs in 42 games. Beltre missed some time with an injury, so while that 8 home run total looks low, he’s actually right on pace to have hit 32 if he hadn’t missed time. He can help add some pop back into the Boston lineup.
Adrian Beltre also has three Gold Gloves over his 20-year career, so he’s no slouch out there defensively. Beltre’s veteran leadership could also play a big role in Boston if Rafael Devers is called up in September. Beltre would be able to show Devers the right way to make it as a professional in MLB.
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Somehow, Adrian is not slowing down with age. He continues to crush the ball and is playing as well as he ever has. He’s owed the rest of his $18 million this season, whatever that shakes out to at the time of a trade, and he’s under contract for 2018, so Boston could take their time with Devers.
The Texas Rangers are struggling this season, and it seems like even Yu Darvish is on the table for other teams, so it’s not outrageous to think that Beltre may be as well. Beltre though has a no-trade clause in his contract, so any move would have to be approved by him first. I believe Adrian enjoyed his one year in Boston, so perhaps he’d waive the clause to return to the Red Sox for another year and a half. As a Red Sox fan, I’d love to have him back.
Next: Red Sox should add to their bullpen
Boston would likely have to overpay a bit to land Adrian Beltre, in order for Texas to view this as a positive move. While that’s not the ideal situation, and you can likely land other players for less, none of those other guys give your lineup the same added pop.