Mets' Carlos Beltran: I'd Be Willing To Waive No-Trade Clause For A Contender
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Carlos Beltran is having the type of season that could net him a nice payday in free agency. The cash-strapped Mets are unlikely to sign him after this season, and it sounds like Beltran knows a trade is probably in the cards.
The problem? Beltran holds a full no-trade clause.
"The team is always going to do what is best for the team," he told the New York Post on Tuesday, "and as a player you have to make a decision if the trade makes sense or not."
When asked if he'd consider playing for a contender, Beltran answered: "That's correct. If it happens."
Beltran, who hit his ninth career grand slam Tuesday in a 14-3 rout of the Tigers, is batting .281 with 53 RBI.
Mets manager Terry Collins knows what Beltran's bat means to his scrappy club. New York is 40-39 and in the thick of things in the National League wild card race.
If Beltran is shopped around the league, Collins wants to be assured the Mets can stay in the playoff hunt. David Wright is on the mend from a lower back stress fracture and may be close to returning, but first baseman Ike Davis is in danger of being lost for the season.
"You take a piece like (Carlos) out of the lineup," Collins said, "and you better have something to replace it with."
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