MLB Trade Rumors 2011: Carlos Beltran Could Land with Boston Red Sox

The hole in right field for the 2011 Boston Red Sox is beginning to be a little bit ridiculous. Wouldn't it be great if they could trade for Carlos Beltran, who is rumored to be on the market according to ESPN's Buster Olney?

At the moment, the Red Sox are using a platoon of J.D. Drew and Darnell McDonald in right due to Drew's struggles at the plate, and the trade that sent Mike Cameron to the Florida Marlins.

J.D. is hitting a pitiful .229 in 218 plate appearances. He only has 10 extra-base hits on the season (four home runs, five doubles and one triple). Darnell is doing even worse with his .143 batting average and only two homers in 70 at-bats. These numbers are not acceptable in a pretty tough Red Sox lineup, and Theo Epstein needs to do something fast.

Luckily, Josh Reddick has been called up from Triple-A and had a .393 average in only 61 at-bats. He already has 10 extra-base hits, which include two home runs, three triples and five doubles. He also has walked six times and has worked on his base discipline.

They could definitely use him as well as other prospects (Drew Sutton) as trade bait to land a big bat, which could push them over the edge and make them the best team in the AL East. One of the names floating out there is Carlos Beltran according to WEEI.com.

Beltran has had multiple knee injuries over the last couple of seasons that have put his career in jeopardy, but his 2011 campaign has him playing at his old form. As of July 15, he is hitting .285 with 13 homers and 58 RBI. He is also 3-for-3 in stolen base opportunities.

If they land Beltran, there will cease to be a looming hole in the seventh spot behind David Ortiz and (when he returns from the DL) Carl Crawford. Beltran is also a pretty good fielder, so defense will not be an issue.

The only thing that the Sox would have to deal with is the huge amount of money they owe Drew the rest of this season. I am sure they can trade him to some team that needs a left-handed bench player, as long as they pay for most or all of his remaining salary.