Chris CrockettAdrian Beltre To Red Sox A Great Deal For Both Sides
January 5th 2010 19:31
I was asked by my uncle at the Winter Classic on New Years Day at Fenway, what I thought about Adrian Beltre’s possible destination being Boston for the 2011 season.
I did not hesitate to say, ‘I don’t want him.’ Have I flip-flopped on my New Years Day stance? Did that $50 cup of Bud Light I was drinking cause my brain to freeze and I made I mistake by saying I didn’t want him? No…well…No I didn’t make a mistake. Well technically you might be able to say I did, but hear me out…
The talk up to this point and as far back to when the whole Mike Lowell trade to Texas for Manny’s non-Ramirez cousin, Max, was a supposed done deal, was that the price for Beltre was going to be around $10M per season and he would be looking for a 3-4 year deal. I, in fact, ‘don’t want him’ for that type of a deal. I don’t want this guy around here for 3-4 years. Honestly, I don’t think he’s that good of a ballplayer. He’s an excellent defensive third baseman, at least as good as Lowell was in his prime, if not better. It’s just his offense and his problem with staying healthy that concerns me most, especially at a time when the Red Sox are really in no position to just start acquiring defensive wizards because their offense is some sort of record breaking machine right now. It’s far from it.
The fact that Theo got this guy in her for essentially a one year deal is tremendous. Now both sides are protected. Beltre can go out and have a monster season and at that point the Sox can make the decision to either buy out his deal for $1M after 2010 and attempt to re-sign him or they can let him walk off into the sunset and cash in for himself elsewhere. If he flops hard core, and I mean HARD CORE, the Sox might get stuck with him in 2011 but only because he couldn’t get a deal elsewhere for more than $5M(that is the player option amount for 2011 if he wants to stay).
So, here’s what I want to see Adrian. Hit the living shit out of the ball for the boys from Beantown in 2010 and pack up and get the hell out of here. What happens then, you ask? Simple: Kevin Youkilis becomes the third baseman in 2011, Victor Martinez is re-signed and moves to first base and drummmmmroll please……Joe Mauer is your opening day catcher to open the 2011 season in Boston.
Sometimes it’s just too easy to figure out, isn’t it? Here’s hoping.
Chuck
~TCFB~
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