The National League pennant chase just got a little more interesting. By now you've heard that the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants executed a trade to land one of the biggest names on the trade market, six-time All-star Carlos Beltran. In recent days, the Phillies had been among the few teams rumored to be in the mix to make a trade for Beltran, but in the end, the team that was the National League runner up last year lost out to the team that knocked them from the post-season.Reports say the deal will be made official on Thursday, as Beltran has a full no-trade clause that he must waive. The deal is expected to send righty pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to New York.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy was clear, on Wednesday, stating that the trade was done to improve the club's own offense and was not in an effort to prevent chief NL rival Philadelphia from acquiring Beltran.
Beltran, who was batting .289 with 15 HR and 66 RBI this season with the Mets, will certainly be a welcome addition to a Giants lineup that ranks 28th in the Majors in runs scored and is second worst in the National League in OPS.
The addition of the switch-hitting three-time Gold Glove Award winner will surely help the Giants throughout a push toward the playoffs, but Beltran's presence will certainly be key for the post-season itself. Should the Giants and Phillies meet in October for the second straight year, Beltran's experience will be huge.
In his career, Beltran has mashed more homeruns against the Phillies (25) than he has against any other team. Additionally, Beltran is clutch in the post-season, having posted a line of .366/.485/.817 in 22 career playoff games.
And just in time for a potential sneak peek at things to come, Beltran is expected to arrive in Philadelphia in time to don a Giants uniform for the first time, as San Francisco and Philadelphia meet in the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday night.
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Image- NY Daily News
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