MLB Trade Rumors: Carlos Beltran's Time with New York Mets Nears Its End

The trade rumors surrounding Carlos Beltran this trade deadline are many, and the speculation doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

It’s as if every time a team even whispers the name Carlos Beltran, or he appears in the thought bubble of a general manager, numerous reports will instantly fly out onto the Internet and surrounding media outlets describing a possible trade scenario.

This may be an overstatement, but I’m pretty sure every team in Major League Baseball has had a shot at Carlos Beltran in the past week.

Alright, I know that was a huge overstatement, but I think it did well to prove my point.

Right now everything is just speculation, and anything that we can report to you is just hearsay.

Sure, are there a few teams that seem to have a far better chance at nabbing Beltran than the others?

Of course.

That being said, have we been surprised with shocking deals that came out of left field that nobody could predict in the past?

Of course.

There is really only one thing that I can tell you for certain:

I can all but guarantee you that Carlos Beltran’s days as a New York Met are quickly nearing the end.

Now, with all this said there are a few important things to note in regard to the Mets trading Beltran.

The trading deadline is July 31st, but Beltran cannot officially approve of a deal until 24 hours after it is proposed, so the Mets are going to want to get the trade done well before the deadline.

It works the same way with him declining a trade, which he has the rights to do. If he does decline a trade the Mets are going to want ample time to work on a Plan B.

What I’m saying here is that you should expect Carlos Beltran to be traded very soon.

Finally, let’s get to the part you have all been anxiously reading to get to.

Where is Beltran going to be traded to?

ESPN’s Buster Olney has the best sources and most concise answers in my opinion, so let’s turn to him on this matter:

"

The Mets view the field of competition for Carlos Beltran as whittled down to five: Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Texas and San Francisco. And according to sources, the Giants were considered to be the favorites as of two days ago -- with the Braves perhaps holding the strongest cards, should they choose to play them, because of their wide range of pitching prospects.

The Braves are playing really well right now, and they won again Friday, with a Dan Uggla pinch-hit home run. If the Braves have a chance to get Beltran, writes Jeff Schultz, they should do it now.

There's no doubt that right now, Beltran is a great fit for a lot of teams, for a lot of reasons: He's swinging the bat very well, with a slugging percentage in the .700 range this month; he's experienced, having been through this whole rental-player thing before (and thriving, in Houston); he's got every reason to want to do well, given his impending free agency.

"

So there you have it Mets fans!

Five teams seem to be in strong contention for Beltran, and out of all five the Mets will most likely get at least one good prospect back in return.

If you want my official answer…

I believe Carlos Beltran will be traded to the Atlanta Braves, and in return they will receive left-handed MLB ready pitcher Mike Minor and perhaps another prospect.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports