Isn't Adrian Beltre just the best?
The veteran third baseman was rewarded on Monday when the Texas Rangers picked up the 2016 vesting option on their heart and soul. And on Tuesday, Beltre threw the Rangers a little bone when he rearranged his deal to free up some more money for a possible trade deadline push in July.
Beltre, who was scheduled to make $18 million this year and $16 million in 2016 from that option the Rangers went ahead and picked up on Monday, will flip those numbers to give the Rangers an extra $2 million of cash to work with this summer.
“If need to get somebody at the trade deadline, they have the flexibility to do it,” Beltre told The Dallas Morning News.
Two million dollars might not sound like much, but when you're talking about paying a player for a couple of months, it can make a big difference. If things go well for the Rangers over the season's first four months, it's unlikely they'd be looking to add a big bat, but the most glaring deficiency right now, at least, would be in the bullpen. Those guys can come pretty cheaply.
So who knows? Beltre's decision to make $2 million less this year and defer it to 2016 could be the difference between the Rangers getting a key piece in July and having to stand pat. Of course, for any of this to matter, the Rangers have to play well for four months, which is certainly not a guarantee.
