MLB Trade Rumors: Top 5 Destinations for Carlos Beltran at the Deadline

Scorching temperatures across the country notwithstanding, New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran is currently the hottest commodity in baseball right now and is all but certain to be sporting a new uniform by the time the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline comes and goes.

The six-time All-Star is having a resurgent season thus far, slugging 15 home runs and piling up 62 RBI while connecting at a solid .289 clip, after battling through myriad injuries over the previous two years.

Now in the final year of the seven-year, $119 million contract he signed with the Metropolitans following the 2004 season, Beltran is a wanted man, with just about every team with even the slimmest hopes of reaching the postseason putting in a courtesy call to general manager Sandy Alderson to see about making a deal for the 34-year-old switch hitter.

From among that huge swath of MLB have emerged five favorites to land Beltran's services—the San Francisco Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves, the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers—with each one hoping that he can do for them what he did in leading the Houston Astros to the World Series in 2004.

With that in mind, let's have a look at each of those five teams, why they want/need Beltran and what their chances are of out-hustling, out-muscling and outbidding the others to get him.

San Francisco Giants

What better team with which to begin than the San Francisco Giants.

The defending World Series champions own a four-game lead in the National League West over the Arizona Diamondbacks at the top of the division and once again have perhaps the best pitching staff in all of baseball, led by All-Stars Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and, of course, Brian Wilson.

That being said, the Giants would be hard-pressed to repeat as baseball's best if they can't get their offensive house in order. Losing catching phenom Buster Posey to injury back in May has clearly taken its toll on San Francisco's productivity at the plate, as the Giants are fifth-worst in the Majors in runs scored and OPS and sixth-worst in batting average while managing only 65 home runs in 100 games thus far.

The return of third baseman Pablo Sandoval has helped a bit, but their outfield rotation is still weak at the plate.

So unless general manager Brian Sabean really thinks Brandon Belt is the answer to San Fran's suffering, he'd better pony up for Beltran, and fast.

According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Mets have taken a shining to Belt, along with pitcher Zach Wheeler and outfielder Gary Brown, though giving up any one of those three for just two months of Beltran would be a steep price to pay.

That being said, the Giants should strike while the iron is hot here, and given Beltran's stated preference for a National League team with a strong pitching staff, Bruce Bochy's club is in as good a position as any to add Beltran's bat to the mix. 

Philadelphia Phillies

That being said, the Giants are far from the only team in the National League with an outstanding collection of arms, a superior shot at the World Series, a need in the outfield AND prospects to burn.

The Philadelphia Phillies currently rank as the top team in the NL by virtue of a 62-36 record, though their outstanding win-loss ratio only masks their problems at the plate.

Despite sporting a lineup anchored by such dynamic offensive forces as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, the Fightin's have been patently average in putting up runs this season, ranking 14th in the bigs in that department, as well as 17th in OPS and 18th in team batting.

Raul Ibanez, age 39, is the team's best outfield power threat, though his current numbers (.243, 13 home runs, 48 RBI, .702 OPS) leave much to be desired and place him among the least productive outfielders in the NL.

As such, Philly GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has been working the phones to get a deal done for Beltran, though he may be unwilling to part with 23-year-old right fielder Domonic Brown, whom the Mets covet.

For now, then, Charlie Manuel and company will have to rely on the continued dominance of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels until the deadline draws just a bit closer, at which point New York will likely have to reduce its asking price for what would amount to a Beltran rental. 

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are lurking just four games back of the Phillies in the NL East standings and are in similar need of an outfield bat like the one Beltran so deftly wields these days.

As always, the Braves have been buoyed by their pitching while persevering through disappointing seasons by Jason Heyward (.231, 11 home runs, 27 RBI), Dan Uggla (.197, 18 home runs, 40 RBI) and Nate McLouth (.241, four homers, 16 RBI), to name a few.

All told, Atlanta's team average of .239, abysmal in and of itself, ranks 26th in all of baseball, though their homer-happy offense (sixth in the Majors with 112 dingers) has helped to mitigate the effects of that number in run production somewhat.

Nonetheless, there are serious concerns for the Braves, whose proclivity for swinging and missing (third in baseball with 771 strikeouts) puts them in grave danger of another early exit from the postseason when pitted against a staff like that of the Giants, especially if franchise stalwart Chipper Jones isn't back up to speed by the time the calendar turns to October.

Atlanta GM Frank Wren would prefer to hang on to pitching prospect Mike Minor if he can, though he may have some difficulty convincing the Mets to accept any of his other youngsters, given how fixated on acquiring young pitching New York happens to be.

That being said, the Braves have been known to play it cool in deadlines past and won't likely bite on Beltran unless they can swing a fair deal.

Boston Red Sox

What would any bidding war for a big-name trade chip be without at least a word from the Boston Red Sox?

Setting aside the spectacular play of Jacoby Ellsbury, the outfield at Fenway Park has been something of a black hole this season, at least at the corners, where Carl Crawford (.247, six home runs, 33 RBI) has proven once again that throwing money at a problem won't necessarily fix it, and J.D. Drew (.219, four home runs, 21 RBI) has been, well, himself.

Not that their woes have hindered the team's production. The Sox are still tops in all of baseball in runs scored, OPS and team batting average, and sport a 2.5 game lead over the New York Yankees at the top of the American League East.

All told, Boston doesn't exactly need Beltran, but with so few financial constraints and the possibility that the hated Yankees could swoop in to snag him, GM Theo Epstein could make a pass at him anyway.

In essence, the Red Sox have very little to lose in at least entertaining the thought. If they win out, they'll have yet another dangerous hitter in their already monstrously productive lineup. If not, they'll still have one of the best offenses that baseball has to offer.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are similarly spectacular at putting runs on the board, but have a slightly better reason for seeking Beltran's services.

The Rangers would like to add Beltran as a sort of high-profile insurance policy for four-time All-Star and reigning American League MVP Josh Hamilton. It's no secret that Hamilton's body is brittle, as he has been prone to second-half flameouts by way of the regular wear and tear that comes with playing in the outfield on a daily basis.

Ideally, Texas GM Jon Daniels wants Beltran on board so that he can slide Hamilton over as a full-time designated hitter with as little guilt and on-field backlash as possible.

Of course, that would only compound the existing concerns surrounding Michael Young, who has been relegated to the role of DH since the arrival of Adrian Beltre and has been none too happy about it, though Young's production (.329, eight home runs, 66 RBI) would suggest otherwise.

That being said, the Rangers are well aware of the kind of impact that Beltran can have as a rental, having seen what he did for the Houston Astros back in 2004. As good as Texas has been this season, they might yet need that kind of help to fend off the hard-charging Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Realistically, though, the Rangers aren't exactly hurting for another bat and won't likely spring for Beltran unless the Mets drop their asking price to a more reasonable level.