BoSox sign Beltre
January 4, 2010, 11:15 pm by iYankees · 51 Comments
Earlier tonight, the Red Sox signed former Mariner third baseman Adrian Beltre to a one year deal with a player option for 2011. Beltre is a career .270/.325/.453 hitter that can likely swat 25-30 home runs for the Sox while playing excellent defense at the hot corner (over the past three years, he has been the best third baseman in the American League, defensively). He’s a very valuable player, even when he’s not providing offense. For instance, in ’09, he had a .683 OPS yet his glove kept him at 2.4 WAR. At $9 million in 2010, he’ll be a big bargain for Boston (his player option is for $5 million) and, along with Mike Cameron and John Lackey, adds to their run prevention approach this winter.
The Beltre deal all but eliminates a possible A-Gonz trade for Boston and will now allow them to move Mike Lowell.
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