Carlos Beltran Trade: 5 Reasons the Giants Are Now Favorites to Win NL Pennant

With the trade for Carlos Beltran, the San Francisco Giants are now favorites to repeat as National League Champions again. Beltran was considered the best bat available at the 2011 MLB Trade Deadline, and he now joins the reigning World Series champs.

The Giants' offense has been struggling since Buster Posey was put on the shelf, and they have now upgrading by trading for Carlos Beltran.

Beltran is a switch-hitter who can hit for both average and power. He is an All-Star, a Gold Glover, a Silver Slugger, and a previous Rookie of the Year. He has had some problems with injuries in the past few years, but he is having another great season.

Now that the Giants have acquired Beltran, they should win the NL Pennant, and perhaps even the World Series.

1. They Are Already a Great Team

The San Francisco Giants are currently 59-44, and leading the NL West by three games. They have the third-best record in the National League, as they are half a game back of the Atlanta Braves.

The Giants still have a good number of players on their team from their World Series-winning team of 2010. These are players who have proven that they are capable of going to the postseason. They did lose Buster Posey to injury, but they have still found a way to win games.

The Giants already lead the NL West, so they should be able to make it to the postseason, and they will continue to win when they are there.

The Giants are one of the best teams in the MLB without Beltran, and they are arguably the best with him.

2. They Have the Best Pitching Staff in the MLB

The San Francisco Giants have a very formidable pitching staff, and it is the best in the MLB from front to back.

The Giants' pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 3.12. That ties for the best in the MLB with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Giants' rotation may not be filled with as much star-power as the Phillies', but they are just as good. They also have the more reliable closer in Brian Wilson. The Phillies have used Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo as their closers, but none of those three have proven as dominant as Brian Wilson has.

The Giants' pitching staff has matched that of the Phillies, whose rotation was supposed to be the best in baseball and one of the best in history.

3. Carlos Beltran Does Well a AT&T Park

Carlos Beltran is an excellent batter, but he does even better at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

Over the past three full seasons (2008-2010), Beltran has hit .375 with six RBI in 40 at-bats. This season, he is batting .364 with one RBI in 11 at-bats.

Beltran has done very well in AT&T Park, and his .364 batting average there is the best of any park this season.

Beltran is going to have a lot of at-bats in AT&T Park now that he is playing for the Giants, and we could see a hearty rise in his stats over the next few months.

4. Beltran Is Going to Be the Best Hitter in Lineup

Carlos Beltran is joining up with the San Francisco Giants and their pitiful offense. Beltran is going to help turn the offense around, however, because he is going to be their best hitter.

Beltran leads the Giants in batting average, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, hits, total bases, slugging percentage, OPS, and many more statistical categories.

The Giants have been scoring enough runs to win games, and now that they have traded for a player who is going to be their best hitter, they are in good position to win the NL Pennant.

5. Experience in Postseason

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series just last year. Because of that, only eight players on their roster (including Beltran) were not on that team. However, most of those eight (including Beltran) have had experience in the postseason anyway.

Experience in the postseason is always underrated. While some players like Roy Halladay can play their first postseason game and pitch a no-hitter, most players need to have gone through the process before.

The Giants have all of the tools necessary for a return trip to the World Series, and they should be favorite to do so, even over the Philadelphia Phillies.