Yankees should trade for veteran leader Adrian Beltre

For the inexperienced Bronx Bombers, crafty veteran Adrian Beltre would provide clubhouse leadership and an insurance policy if the Yankees rookies run out of gas.

The Yankees are almost solid from the top down. Whatever perceived holes found during the early half of the season, first-year manager Aaron Boone has plugged with rookies Gleyber Torres and  Miguel Andujar, while also successfully utilizing utility man Ronald Torreyes.

Each has hit well, as the trio hold a positive WAR in over 20 games played. The addition of reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to complement AL home run king, Aaron Judge, was meant to be the final piece for the Yanks to return to the World Series, but they are still missing that veteran hitter to provide balance and leadership for the rookies.

That’s why the Bombers should trade for Adrian Beltre during the stretch run for the postseason.

At 39, Beltre is not your washed up former superstar. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Fame third baseman who joined the exclusive 3,000 hit club just last year. In 29 games this season, Beltre is slashing .314/.375/.422.

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He has a plus defensive WAR at 0.3 and is a lifetime .261 hitter in the playoffs. If Beltre wanted to play until he’s 50, he’d still hit .300!

By comparison, of the four players to start at third base for Yankees this season, only Andujar has a higher slugging percentage (.487) than Beltre. Entering his 20^th season, Beltre is a savvy veteran that understands how to preserve strength throughout a grueling 162-game schedule.

Over the past three years, Beltre has hit better and with more power after the All-Star Game as opposed to before it (.318 vs .255, .323 vs. .281, .329 vs. .283).

That is especially crucial for the Yanks, who witnessed Judge tail off during the latter part of 2017 (.329 batting average pre-All-Star vs. .228 post All-Star). Judge also batted just .188 in the postseason.

These crafty intangibles make Beltre a valuable necessity for this young Yankee lineup. It is yet to be seen how the nucleus of Torres, Torreyes and Andujar produce as the season progresses but Beltre has a proven track record of late-season success.

He provides insurance just in case Torres and company hit the rookie wall. Beltre brings power, solid defense and gives some much-needed clubhouse leadership. He’s also incentivized to play for a legitimate World Series contender, which is the only thing that eludes Beltre in his illustrious career.

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Beltre’s current team, the Texas Rangers, already sit 11 games out of first place. They likely won’t chase down the Houston Astros or Los Angeles Angels, which is why the Yankees could acquire Beltre without needing to gut their farm system.