St. Louis Cardinals Rumors: Signing Carlos Beltran Is a Must to Contend in 2012

There are rumors that the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in signing free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran following the departure of three-time MVP Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Cardinals are in need of a power hitter now that they have a void without Pujols, and there is no better option than adding Beltran for the time being.

Apparently, Beltran has already been offered a deal from an unidentified team that would pay him $10 million a year. Whether that team was the Cardinals remains to be seen. Without re-signing Pujols, the Cardinals should have some wiggle room in their budget to spend it on a player like Beltran. If they are going to, they are going to have to move in quickly.

While Beltran could be called a risk at that high of a price, the move is a must considering the circumstances.

With the potential move of Lance Berkman to first base, the Cardinals will need to fill their new hole in the outfield. Beltran has taken a few steps back in his ability as the years have passed, but there is no reason to believe that the three-time Gold Glove winner couldn't replace an aging Berkman in the outfield.

Beltran is most important in regards to bringing a power hitter back into the lineup, considering Pujols' departure. While Beltran is no Pujols, he did have 22 home runs in 148 games last season. His 84 RBI were 15 short of what Pujols produced in 147 games, so there is a reason to believe that he could come in and help make up on the potential lost production.

The addition of Beltran also helps the Cardinals become the front-runners in what is already an easily winnable NL Central division. The Chicago Cubs are going through a rebuilding process and the Milwaukee Brewers are likely going to be without free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder. Not to mention, they could be losing National League MVP winner Ryan Braun due to an alleged positive result on a PED test.

The Pittsburgh Pirates started moving in the right direction last season, but they certainly can't be considered yet a shoo-in to win anything. The only team that could potentially really stand in their way is the Cincinnati Reds, but some could argue that they have appeared to be busts after going 79-83 this past season.

The time is now for the Cardinals to take a chance to capitalize on the moment.

Beltran is nearing 35 years old, but he has been fairly consistent over his career. That being said, there is no reason to one could consider him having a drastic drop-off next season. Last season, Beltran batted .300, which actually was the fourth-best batting average of his 14 year career. He should at least be able to continue to contribute positive numbers.

In 44 games with the Giants last season, Beltran batted .323 with nine doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 18 RBI. He also was an All-Star, his sixth selection in 14 seasons.

If Beltran is able to keep things going from last season, there is reason to believe that he could just be enough to propel the World Series champs into the right direction despite their loss.

The Cardinals didn't just win the World Series last year because of Pujols. It was a team effort, with solid performances from players like Chris Carpenter, Matt Holliday, Berkman and World Series MVP David Freese. Adding a player like Beltran in the mix shouldn't hinder what the team has going for them.

Besides Beltran, there doesn't remain to be many other notable options that could essentially do somewhat of a job replacing Pujols. Other players that remain to be available are guys like Andruw Jones, Raul Ibanez, J.D. Drew and Magglio Ordonez. Michael Cuddyer could have been a feasible option, but he signed with the Colorado Rockies on Friday.

It will remain to be seen where the Cardinals decide to go following their worst fear coming true, but things could potentially get better with the addition of Beltran. Without him, the Cardinals may be fighting with the rest of this weak division for a spot in October.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State Football.