The Royals have serious interest in free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran and appear willing to offer their former star a three-year deal, the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton reports. Last week, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman wrote that the Royals "could become real threats" to sign Beltran. "We’d love to have him in," a Royals official tells Dutton. "One thing about Carlos Beltran is he’s a money player. He’s an RBI guy. He produces."
The Royals will have lots of competition for Beltran, whose other suitors might include the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers, and Mariners. And after the signing of Jason Vargas, the Royals already appear to have little money to spare. Dutton reports, however, that the Royals might be able to find space in their payroll for Beltran, perhaps by making other transactions to reduce salary. If the Royals were to sign Beltran, for example, one possibility might be to trade DH Billy Butler, who is set to make $8MM in 2014 (with an option and a $1MM buyout for 2015).
In any case, the Royals are looking for a hitter, and one reason for their focus on Beltran is that the trade market isn't particularly promising. "[W]hen you look at the landscape, I’m not sure there are many clubs out there that are willing to trade impact bats," says GM Dayton Moore. "There just are not that many, and a lot of people are looking for the same thing."
