Needing an upgrade to their offense it appears the San Francisco Giants are very close to acquiring New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Beltran, 34, is set to be dealt to the Giants with $4 million in cash and in return New York will receive pitching prospect Zach Wheeler.
In the final year of his seven-year contract with the Mets, Beltran is batting .289/.391/.513 with 15 home runs and 66 RBI. Beltran was named an All-Star this season for the sixth time in his 14-year major league career. Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal have been covering the expected trade for Fox Sports.
Beltran who spent seven seasons in Kansas City as a member of the Royals, still is in the Kansas City all-time top10 in hits, home runs, RBI, and stolen bases.
In return the Mets will be receiving 21-year old pitcher Zach Wheeler who was ranked by Baseball America as the 55th best prospect in baseball prior to the start of the season. The first round draft choice in 2009 (6th overall) is currently 7-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 16 starts for San Jose (Class A - Advanced). He also has a 1.375 WHIP to go with 98 strikeouts and 47 walks.
Though the deal is not final it certainly appears that for all intents and purposes that it will go through.