Without a doubt, Adrian Beltre is a pillar of this Rangers team. He is the veteran leader with skins on the wall who can, will and has played through whatever injury may come his way. He’s a sure fire Hall of Famer nearing the end his storied career that has seen him sign illegally with the LA Dodgers from the Dominican as a 15 year old and even collect his first big league home run as a 19 year old off of the Rangers’ Rick Helling. He’s a four time gold glover, four time silver slugger, four time all-star, and the list goes on.
Now, 18 years since that first home run, a 37 year old Beltre is still special. His reflexes and skills with the glove are elite for a third baseman of any age and he has definitely outperformed his current 5 yr/$80million deal that included an option for the upcoming 2016 season. Even at 37, Beltre continues to be a top third baseman in today’s game.
With next winter’s free agency looming large, talks have reportedly begun between Beltre’s agent Scott Boras and the Rangers’ front office but as always seems to happen in these Boras talks, the sides are on two different pages – despite both publicly saying they are in favor of an extension.
This numbers game can be approached several ways but let’s start with what Scott Boras is probably leading with – Pablo Sandoval. The Kung Fu Panda himself. You know, that chubby fellow with a huge dip of snuff who helped beat the Rangers in the 2010 World Series while with the Giants? Yep – he’s the one.
Oh except he’s now in Boston enjoying the spoils of a 5 year/$95 million contract, a full 3 million per year over what Beltre has been getting and this for a player who barely approaches his skill set defensively and whose struggles at the plate even led to him ditching his switch hitting altogether in spells last year.
Yeah, the two-time all-star who has garnered MVP votes on two separate occasions is even back to competing for a job this spring – you can’t predict baseball. There’s no doubt that Adrian Beltre today is worth more than Pablo Sandoval, not to mention the Adrian Beltre who the Rangers STOLE for the last five years – that has to be worth something right? Scott Boras knows that last year Adrian Beltre, despite his injuries, was statistically the Rangers’ most valuable player – but so does Jon Daniels.
Jon Daniels, Thad Levine and Co. are likely to be tentative to pay Beltre more than Sandoval even if he deserves it. After all, they do have a stacked farm system, loads of money tied up in other cornerstone players on the big league level and an heir apparent in the form of Joey Gallo waiting in the wings.
These factors precede the largest factor which is Beltre’s age. The man is 37 years old and is potentially looking to be one of the highest paid players at his position through his age 40 season, his 22nd as a major leaguer.
Are we really to expect that the Rangers will continue to pony up large contracts for aging veterans like Prince Fielder, Shin Soo Choo and Adrian Beltre despite having talent ripe for the picking at the upper levels of the farm? That doesn’t seem like the most fiscally responsible approach and so it’s very possible that JD and Co. could say “he may deserve more, but we won’t pay more”.
Then there’s a third angle – albeit mentally taxing for the 2016 Rangers fan: Wait and see. Let’s wait and see what develops this year. Trades will happen, injuries will happen and the Rangers will be buyers or sellers come July with a lot to offer on either end.
Speculating about what big contracts might move along via trade, what prospects might be sent off for the next Cole Hamels or Cliff Lee, what injuries might come up, etc. would be a waste of my time and yours but if 2014 and 2015 taught us anything it’s that you can’t predict baseball. The Rangers could even do the unthinkable and deal Beltre himself at the deadline for a haul of prospects to a team who feels they are on the cusp.
I want Beltre to be a Ranger forever. Literally. I want his bronze bust in Cooperstown to be him in a Rangers’ cap and I want a statue out by the Nolan statue of the Beltre one knee follow-through or the off balance throw to first base on a short grounder – although that might be harder for an artist to reproduce.
The problem with hoping for these things is they get in the way of the ultimate goal, which is for the organization to win a championship. A championship is the ultimate goal the front office will make their decisions according to. Sure it may feel good to see Beltre take a victory lap around the league as a 40 year old but isn’t it all for nothing if they don’t win a championship first and that 2019 team is bad?
The Beltre window is closing one way or the other and we can just count ourselves lucky for witnessing what we have witnessed so far. Here’s hoping that JD, Thad and the guys find a way to keep Beltre here until he hangs up his spikes, and that between now and then he gets a ring or two but we’ll have to wait and see, because you can’t predict baseball.
Follow Chris on Twitter @RealChrisRoland for more thoughts on the Rangers.
