MLB: Adrian Beltre Lands in Boston
The Boston Red Sox agreed to a guaranteed deal with an option for a second year with free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre Monday. The Sox had been long rumored to be looking for a defensive upgrade at the hot corner but when the deal to send Mike Lowell to Texas fell through there was speculation as to whether Boston would go out and sign another third bagger.
The deal is said to be an incentive laden one with a base salary of $9 million and a $5 million player option for 2011 and a $1 million buy out.
If he has fully recovered from last year’s shoulder surgery Beltre potentially gives Boston an enhanced defensive presence at third, but, it remains to be seen what he is going to do at the plate. Beltre’s production dropped off significantly due to his shoulder problems last year. When he was healthy he was typically good for 25 homers and 80+ RBIs with the Mariners.
He has never approached the numbers he put up with the Dodgers in 2004 when he hit .334 with 48 homers and 121 RBIs leading to speculation that he was using performance enhancing drugs prior to landing his free agent deal with the Mariners. If healthy he gives the Red Sox a solid bat to stick in the five or six spot in the lineup but he does little to address Boston’s hole at the clean up spot.
