Carlos Beltran Left Money On The Table To Be A Yankee

The 3 year, $45 million dollar contract that the Yankees offered Carlos Beltran last off-season was only the 3^rd largest offer that he received. Joel Sherman reports that both the Royals and the Diamondbacks offered more lucrative deals. The Diamondbacks offer was 3 years, $48 million. The details of the Royals offer are not clear, but a 4^th year option was a part of it, as well as it being more money yearly. 

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2014 was a disappointment for Beltran. He was often injured, and playing through his injuries hurt both himself and the team. In 109 games, Beltran hit .233/15/49 with a .301 OBP. He had bone spurs removed from his elbow in late September, and is expected to be 100% ready for spring training. While he played in 109 games, only 32 of them were in right field. The DH is a resting spot for an older Yankee team and Beltran forced Joe Girardi to make moves he normally wouldn’t because of the lack of an available DH slot.

Although Beltran is getting old in baseball years, he’ll be 38 in late April, 2015 will be great for him if he can stay healthy. In 2012 and 2013 with the Cardinals, Beltran hit .269/32/97 with a .346 OBP and .296/24/84 with a .339 OBP. While we should not be expecting Beltran to hit 30 home runs again, getting into the 23+ range is not out of reach. More importantly, he is a high batting average player. On a team that has multiple players batting below .240, a healthy Beltran should bring a .270+ average into the lineup. A .270/25/85 2015 season for Beltran is well within reach as long as the rest of the team gets on base.

Beltran has wanted to be a New York Yankee for a long time. That is why he took only the 3^rd highest offer for his services. No one is more disappointed in his play this past season than he is. That is why he will be coming to spring training this year more determined than ever to be a star in the Bronx.