It’s done: Texas Rangers sign Adrian Beltre
The Texas Rangers and Adrian Beltre have been tied together in the media for more than a week now and it doesn’t surprise anyone that the two sides have officially signed an agreement. The former Boston Red Sox player made the news official recently when
he turned up on a press conference held by the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers who have been looking for a strong player in the roster made their case for the 2011 major league baseball season when they signed on Adrian Beltre, recently. The signing comes at a cost of $96 million and the contract is slated to last 6 years
with special obligations.
The Rangers never were looking to sign on Beltre, at the start of the winter break. They already had Michael Young on the third baseman position, so what was the need of Beltre to begin with? The Rangers wanted Cliff Lee back and that didn’t quite work out
as the top pitcher in the free agency made his way to the Philadelphia Phillies instead.
Nevertheless, with Lee’s exit, Brandon Webb came in on a cheap price tag. With more money to go around, the Rangers wasted no time to spend more on the hitting department. That is one of the reasons why Beltre is in the club now. He not only drives in more
runs but he can strengthen the infield on the third baseman position. Young will now play on the designated hitter position. Manager, Ron Washington was willing to talk about the change in batting order and outfield.
"I'm putting him there for the same reason that I put Milton Bradley there. ... He can handle the off speed stuff," Washington said. "With (Josh) Hamilton and (Nelson) Cruz, Michael Young and (Ian) Kinsler, I'm not looking for Adrian to drive in 130 runs.
He can put up 90 RBIs, and with those other guys around him, that will be enough."
Scott Boras, who arranged the deal between his employer, Beltre and the Rangers talked about the player’s ideal club for the winter.
"Adrian had a great deal of interest from a lot of Major League clubs," Boras said. "But Adrian made it clear that he was not going to any place where he did not have the opportunity to win. He has been in the playoffs one time and he has been in the Major
Leagues since he was 19. This was a meeting of the stars."
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