Carlos Beltran headed to Giants, sources say
San Francisco struck trade-deadline gold Wednesday, agreeing to acquire Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran in exchange for minor league pitcher and former first-round pick Zach Wheeler, according to multiple CBSSports.com sources.
The Mets also will pick up a "significant" portion of the $9 million owed Beltran this year before he becomes a free agent this winter, CBSSports.com's Scott Miller reports.
The deal cannot become official until Thursday because of rules surrounding Beltran's 10/5 status. This came up last year when the Yankees acquired Lance Berkman from Houston. When a player has been in the majors for 10 seasons, the last five with the same club, he has no-trade rights and a deal does not become official until 24 hours after it's been agreed to.
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In this case, sources say that Beltran has agreed to accept a deal to San Francisco, and that the Mets and Giants have agreed that the right-handed Wheeler will go to New York. One source close to the talks said the Mets will pick up a "significant" portion of the remainder of Beltran's 2011 salary, though it was unclear of how much.
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has been fielding offers for Beltran for weeks, and Philadelphia, Texas and Atlanta have been among the most intense suitors. The deal began breaking the Giants' way earlier this week when the Phillies cooled on Beltran because the Mets refused to reduce their asking price, and Texas dropped out Wednesday morning.
The Giants clinched the deal with the inclusion of Wheeler, a top pitching prospect who was San Francisco's first-round pick in the 2009 draft. Beltran's bat will be a huge addition to a San Francisco team already in first place in the NL West.
