I agree, except SO many base-stealers decline in that category so quickly. Especially ones who hit for power also. I dunno if he'll do it past 30..but sure I hope he does if he's here
Am I the only one who thinks that Carlos has most likely made up his mind by now? I mean, he's got the offers in front of him...whatever they may be. Boras is instructing him (as he probably should), to weigh the offers and lets use the next few days to see if A) anyone who has already bid gets scared enough to the point where they raise their offer unnecessarily or B) perhaps a phantom team arises...a la Anaheim/Vlad last year. I don't see Carlos playing eeny-meeny-miney-mo at 10:30 Saturday night with the decision of a lifetime in front of him.
I agree, this is the ploy behind Boras's game. Beltran most likely has chosen a team. Boras is the one in charge.
and that's the real concern. because boras is probably saying, "don't make up your mind yet. let these teams fight it out to the end."
I think that the Astros have made the final offer, and it's a good offer. Anything above that would be overpaying. Now it's really up to Carlos to decide where he wants to go. I hope that it's not Boras who makes the final decision.
Man, I can't take checking this thread 20 times a day to see if there is any new news. I hope he decides soon.
you are able to keep it to 20? i actually go to the site, check the thread, and minimize it so i can just toggle back and forth all day
You're probably right that he might have already chosen a team. However, the only decision he has to make by 10:59:59 p.m. on Sat is if it is going to be the Astros or not. If not, then it is merely one less team to deal with.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=1960521 By Tim Kurkjian ESPN The Magazine When the 2004 playoffs began, Carlos Beltran was a very good player headed for a substantial payoff in free agency. When the playoffs ended, he was Mickey Mantle headed for an enormous payoff. "October,'' one GM said, "earned him an extra $30 million.'' Beltran hit .435 with eight homers in his first postseason. Beltran was that good in October. He hit eight home runs, tying Barry Bonds' record for most home runs in one postseason. He scored 21 runs, breaking Bonds' record for one postseason. He scored a run in 10 straight games, breaking the record of eight held by Babe Ruth and Home Run Baker. Beltran did what no player has done during any seven-game period of any postseason in history: amass seven homers, 14 hits, 14 runs scored and 12 RBI. It was more than the numbers. The hits came at critical times: in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Braves, Beltran became the second player in postseason history to drive in five or more runs in a decisive game. In Game 4 of the NLCS, Beltran took a 2-2 slider off his shoe tops, and drilled it into the bullpen in right center in the seventh inning for the go-ahead run in a 6-5 win over the Cardinals. "It was a very good pitch,'' said St. Louis reliever Julian Tavarez. "It was impossible to hit it that hard.'' It wasn't just Beltran's brilliance from both sides of the plate. He stole second base in the ninth inning of Game 5, setting up Jeff Kent's game-ending, three-run homer. And then there was Beltran's defense, which was remarkable. In that Game 5, Beltran raced to his right and made a sensational diving catch in left center, robbing Edgar Renteria of extra bases, and assuring the score remained tied. The next inning, Reggie Sanders hit a drive to deep center. Beltran got such a great jump on the ball, and he's so fast, he caught the ball as he gracefully back-peddled up the hill in center field. "I've done a header several times on that hill,'' said Craig Biggio, Houston's center fielder before Beltran. "That was amazing.'' Beltran was amazing in every way in the postseason, his first postseason in the big leagues, which made what he did even more extraordinary. The question is, is he really that good? Is he really worth six or seven years, at $16 to $17 million a year After 5½ years in Kansas City and half a season in Houston, is he ready for the pressure that would come with playing a full season in New York, or another big media market? These are questions to ponder for the Mets, Yankees, Astros, Cubs or any team in the bidding. Entering the playoffs, Beltran had not hit a home run in his final 89 at-bats. In September, he drove in seven runs in 97 at-bats. "What I don't understand,'' said one member of the Astros, "is how he only hit .267 this year. Shouldn't it have been higher?'' Inside The Numbers How Carlos Beltran compares with Mickey Mantle from the first six seasons of their careers: Beltran Year G HR RBI OBP AVG '99 156 22 108 .337 .293 '00 98 7 44 .309 .247 '01 155 24 101 .362 .306 '02 162 29 105 .346 .273 '03 141 26 100 .389 .307 '04 159 38 104 .367 .267 Totals 871 146 562 .354 .284 Mantle Year G HR RBI OBP AVG '51 96 13 65 .349 .267 '52 142 23 87 .394 .311 '53 127 21 92 .398 .295 '54 146 27 102 .408 .300 '55 147 37 99 .431 .306 '56 150 52 130 .464 .353 Totals 808 173 575 .412 .308 The 2004 season was Beltran's first 30-home run season. He has five, 100-RBI seasons, but none with as many as 110. His career slugging percentage is .490, which is 109 points lower than Manny Ramirez's. His career on-base percentage is .353, 79 points lower than Todd Helton's. Beltran is not Mantle (he's not close, actually. Go check out the prime 10 years of the Mick's career). But Beltran is 27 years old, he's a switch-hitter, he's durable, there's nothing he can't do on the field, and he seems to be getting better at everything. His walk totals the last five years have increased every year from 35 to 92. His strikeout rate is down from two years ago. He has 192 steals and only 23 caught stealing in his career, a phenomenally high percentage. Astros manager Phil Garner said last year that Beltran was the best player he'd ever had as a teammate, which covers a lot of ground, including the primes of Dave Parker and Reggie Jackson. Beltran has everything a team would want, but his best asset appears to be his timing. When he needed to be at his best, for his team, and for his impending free agency, he was better than great. And that's going to cost a team an awful lot of money.
http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/37750.htm January 6, 2005 -- IN HIS prime, Bernie Williams was good enough to hit third or cleanup and play the most illustrious position associated with the most illustrious team during a dynasty. Yet Williams' reputation as a defender - three Gold Gloves or not - was inflated. His arm and instincts were always substandard. He was fast, yet a poor base stealer. He always hinted at breakout power, but never bettered 30 homers. Carlos Beltran is everything Bernie Williams was, and everything he never was. This is not meant to insult Williams, a more legitimate Hall of Fame candidate than Don Mattingly. It is to show how special Carlos Beltran is and, more important, is going to be. Coming off 38 homers and 42 steals, he is a great buy, and not just for the Mets or Astros despite how much more each team needs him than the Yankees. Give Omar Minaya credit for breaking through the small-time malaise that had settled over Fred Wilpon's franchise. If we asked which New York team would land Pedro Martinez and Beltran in early November, a clear 100 percent of the respondents would have said the Yanks. Well, Martinez is already a Met and Beltran is in play. Still, the Astros need Beltran more, having based their whole offseason on retaining him. They have let Jeff Kent go, and not pursued Moises Alou and Steve Finley, among others. They are saving their more limited dollars for Beltran and Roger Clemens, who according to a friend likely will come back to the Astros in 2005 with or without Beltran. But the Rocket is pushing hard for Beltran. With Beltran, the Astros and probably the Mets become legitimate playoff contenders. The 2005 Yankee magic number already has evaporated. Even without Beltran, they make the playoffs unless Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera all suffer season-ending injuries colliding at Legends Field. So Beltran feels like piling on. But the Yanks piled on long ago. The payroll is about $205 million with Randy Johnson. At this point, they should only worry if a player makes sense for them, not if they will be looked at like the fat man in a carnival. Because they are looked at like the fat man in the carnival regardless. The Yanks, to date, have shunned Beltran mainly due to what he would do to their payroll now and in the future. But pursuing him hard would not even be a question if Williams' contract were done. Well, suck it up for a year. The pacts of Williams, Kevin Brown, Steve Karsay, Paul Quantrill, Felix Rodriguez and Mike Stanton - worth about $42 million - are expiring. Even with Beltran and the replacements for these players, the Yank payroll projects lower in 2006 than 2005. And 2006 is the final guaranteed year for Mike Mussina, Jorge Posada and Gary Sheffield at a total of $39 million. Third base, shortstop and center are - besides catcher - the hardest positions to find elite players, and the Yanks would be set with A-Rod, Jeter and Beltran in prime years. The Yanks wanted to upgrade their pitching this offseason, and Beltran does that with far superior defense to the diminished Williams. After this season, the Yanks might believe that they can snag a free agent like Johnny Damon or Juan Pierre, or trade for an Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter or Jim Edmonds, any of which would come at a fraction of Beltran's cost. But the Yanks are a now team and they would be giving away defense in 2005, plus none of those players will have anywhere near the production in the next 5-8 years of Beltran, who turns 28 in April. Beltran is a much safer bet moving forward than Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, whom the Yanks signed based on a hunch that their best years were to come. Beltran already is a more accomplished player through age 27 than Williams, who at age 27 hit third and played center for Joe Torre's first champions. Beltran is his logical heir.
think the yanks will ultimately get back in this deal?? particularly with the work on big unit coming to a close?
does this answer your question? http://www.nynewsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spbeltran064105719jan06,0,5544259.story?coll=nyc-sports-headlines Yankees in bidding for Beltran Despite payroll of $200 million, George covets top free agent; besides Mets, Astros and Cubs still in game The Boss (NEWSDAY COMPOSITE) Jan 6, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BY JON HEYMAN STAFF WRITER January 6, 2005 Publicly, the Yankees have sent mixed signals regarding their pursuit of five-tool centerfielder Carlos Beltran. But behind the scenes, there's no doubt about their intentions. The Yankees, and particularly George Steinbrenner, badly want Beltran to carry on their tradition of greatness in centerfield. The Mets' pursuit of Beltran has been much more publicized, but that doesn't make the Yankees any less interested. The Yankees "definitely are players for Beltran," according to a source familiar with their thinking. The Beltran Sweepstakes has been whittled down to a final four. Also in the ballgame are the Cubs and the incumbent Astros, who are very much a player here, with surprising staying power. The gathering intrigue will peak if the derby comes down to New York vs. New York. One person said Steinbrenner outwardly has seemed more obsessed with Randy Johnson, but with Johnson's two-year, $32-million extension on the verge of completion - it could be announced today - Steinbrenner and Co. are signaling they're about to turn their attention to Beltran. Yankees people are guarding against getting into a bidding war, and that may explain the secrecy of their involvement. One person familiar with their thinking said they're in it as long as the numbers "remain in reality." There also may be a fear their offer would be shopped. There have been suggestions made that the Yankees may have reached their payroll limit with Johnson. However, even those stories allowed for the possibility that Steinbrenner might insist on pursuing Beltran. It is believed that as long as Beltran would consider a diminished salary in 2005, when the Yankees' payroll will be around $200 million, he could easily fit. The contracts of Kevin Brown and Bernie Williams come off the books in a year. The Yankees have long had their eye on Beltran, who hit 38 home runs and stole 42 bases in 2004 and who could markedly improve their offense and defense for years. He's 27 and a rare package of offensive and defensive ability. Yankees people are concerned about Williams' diminishing defensive skills, and with Jason Giambi's status uncertain, there definitely is both need and room for Beltran. Agent Scott Boras has told teams they must bid at least $112 million to $119 million over seven years to be in the game, and Boras told The Associated Press, "We're certainly at a point now where we've gotten offers from all involved clubs." The Mets have submitted a bid that was said by one source close to the situation as being for six years and an option and for $107 million guaranteed, though it seems likely now their offer will hit $112 million, the minimum figure requested. In any case, it appears extremely unlikely now that Beltran will sign for less than that $112-million figure. Some people close to Beltran are stunned the Astros are still in it, and as long as they are, they remain a major threat, particularly with Roger Clemens signaling to owner Drayton McLane that he will return if they re-sign Beltran or someone "comparable." Because there is no one comparable available, McLane is feeling more pressure than anyone. Baseball people believe Beltran is likely to sign somewhere by midnight Saturday, which is his deadline to be able to return to the Astros because he rejected their offer of salary arbitration. There was a growing public sense that the Mets' chances were gathering momentum yesterday, thanks to a fan Web site report and other speculation. But that may have been a false sense, as there's no real evidence their chances are greater or worse than any of the other three finalists. If any team has an advantage, perhaps it is the Yankees, who can offer Beltran seven excellent chances to play in the playoffs, assuming he signs a seven-year deal. Beltran has told people close to him it's important that he signs with a team that has a good nucleus and a chance to win.
Well I think its going to come down until the absolute last hour as Borasss waits for a team to cave in and give an extra absurd amout of money. I'll be at the Jets-Chargers game when he signs somewhere, so hopefully I'll see the good news in the parking lot while I am tailgating ... Otherwise I am really going to be pissed the rest of the day. I really am sick of checking this thread
I say let the greedy idiot go. We can get two very solid players for his asking price. Beltran had a career year last year that he is unlikely to repeat.
