The Houston Astros are done rebuilding as the club continued adding key veterans to a promising lineup. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports Houston has signed Carlos Beltran to a one-year deal. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi confirmed the deal, adding it’s worth $16 million.
Carlos Beltran has agreed to one-year, $16 million contract with #Astros, source confirms @Ken_Rosenthal report. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2016
The 39-year-old is coming off an outstanding season split between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. Beltran finished 2016 with 29 home runs, 93 RBI, a .295 AVG and a .337 OBP. While he’s not the elite fielder of past seasons, Beltran still profiles well as a power bat and run producer. On a one-year contract, there’s little risk involved for Houston – opposed to say a five-year deal with Edwin Encarnacion, which was falsely reported to be completed last week.
Beltran can play outfield if need-be, but he’ll likely see most of his time at DH with Houston. The Astros have been aggressive bringing in veterans early in the offseason. The club agreed to a deal with the Yankees for Brian McCann and brought in outfielder J.J. Redick on a four-year, $52 million deal. Beltran also joins a lineup featuring MVP-candidate Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and former top-prospect Alex Bregman.
We live in a time where the Astros are now plucking former Yankees vets. It’s bizarre, but that’s today’s MLB. $16 million is a high price tag for a DH, but Beltran will add a nice bat to the middle of Houston’s increasingly impressive offense.