Royals Rumors: No Carlos Beltran Reunion For Royals
Carlos Beltran will not be apart of the Royals rumors this offseason, as he recently inked a one-year deal with the Houston Astros.
Kansas City Royals fans have been used to watching their big time players shine and then move on from the team. Carlos Beltran was one of those guys, but this offseason gave fans a teensy bit of hope that the former outfielder might return to Kansas City for 2017.
That theory was nixed on Saturday, however, as Beltran and the Houston Astros agreed to a one-year deal worth $16 million.
This is a deal that the Royals should be thankful not to have signed honestly. Sure, Beltran is a great talent, but to give a 40-year old that kind of money for one year would not have been ideal for a team like the Royals.
Source confirms: Beltran in agreement with the #Astros, one year, $16M, full no-trade clause. First on agreement: @Buster_ESPN.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 3, 2016
Carlos Beltran spent seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals and was easily one of their best players during their terrible years of baseball. He slashed .287/.352/.483 during those seven years and made it to one All-Star Game. He was also named Rookie of the Year in 1999.
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In 2004, when Beltran made it to the All-Star Game, the Royals actually traded Beltran to Houston. He then spent one season there before signing the-then biggest contract in all of Major League Baseball at seven years worth $119 million. Hotchie motchie!
Beltran spent 2016 with the Yankees and was traded to the Rangers midway through the season. He hit free agency after the MLB season ended, and while the Royals probably weren’t a frontrunner to many, Kansas City hoped he might find his way back here.
Beltran could have filled several roles in Kansas City had he decided to rejoin the Royals. Obviously he’d have been stuck in the designated hitter spot for most games, but he also could have served a purpose in the outfield as well.
He slashed .295/.337/.513 with the Yankees and the Rangers in 2016, and now will be joining the stacked Astros. Houston also signed Josh Reddick and are looking to be all in for the 2017 season.
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With Beltran off the board, the Kansas City Royals have one less option to sign to fill that DH role, and maybe they really are going to roll with a rotating designated hitter. That’s not an idea that I’m too fond of, but what do I know?
Free agency is still in the early stages, but the Kansas City Royals need to try and sign someone to join their lineup and help them hit for power. At one-year for $16 million though, not inking Carlos Beltran to a contract was a good move for Dayton Moore and the Royals.