Oakland Athletics seem to be out of the race to sign Adrian Beltre
The Oakland Athletics have a lot to look out for in the coming season. The club strung a lot of deals at the start of the winter break when the World Series tournament ended. However, their campaign to bring on some of the best players in the free
agency fell through, after a bid for Japanese player Hisashi Iwakuma didn't materialise during the off-season period in 2010.
The situation isn’t about to improve, as financial woes has seen the side making less movement in the free market. The recent saga involving Adrian Beltre in the transfer market has however grown on the spectators. The former Boston Red Sox player
is one of the most sought after players in Major League Baseball (MLB) at the moment and is expected to land a major deal.
The Los Angeles Angels are currently in pursuit of the player, and are regarded in the best possible position to land Beltre. They have reportedly offered him a five-year deal worth $70 million. The player however isn’t concerned much about where he
will play next season. He is nevertheless looking for a multi-million dollar deal.
The Player’s agent, Scott Boros, is looking for a five-year contract worth $85 million. It appears that the bid price is reasonable considering the amounts paid to acquire the services of players like Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford. Cliff Lee was recently
signed on by the Philadelphia Phillies for $120 million and with him gone; Beltre becomes the top commodity in the free agency.
The Athletics are looking to add power to their hitting squad, as the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers pose a major threat next season. A bid for the playoffs needs a lot of backing and while the pitching department does look
strong, the slugging power could be improved.
The A’s had reportedly offered Beltre a $64 million deal but that was pretty much a rumour. Nevertheless, Adrian’s demands seem to put Oakland in a difficult position, and that can make life uneasy for the management if they decide to add him on to
the roster for the 2011 season.
Recently, Ken Rosenthal reported on the progress in the Adrian Beltre saga, and said that the A’s were out of the sweepstakes following high wage demands. Is this just another rumour or is there truth to this report? - only time will tell.
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