Report: Carlos Beltran Would 'Strongly Consider' Signing With Yankees
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Carlos Beltran heading back to the Big Apple?
It could happen -- and no, we're not talking about a reunion with the New York Mets.
The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder would "strongly consider" signing with the Yankees this offseason, and interest is "mutual," according to the New York Daily News.
Beltran, who spent nearly seven seasons with the Mets, has two doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs for St. Louis in this year's postseason.
He has a career .333 playoff batting average with the Houston Astros, Mets and Cardinals, though in New York he's still remembered as the guy who had the bat on his shoulder while a nasty Adam Wainwright curveball ended the 2006 NLCS.
According to the Daily News, Beltran "would be interested" in playing for the Yankees, who lacked the long ball during stretches in 2013. The free-agent-to-be has flirted with the team before, though this time it may be different as the Bombers "could be in the market" for an outfielder, the paper reported.
The Yankees have a considerable number of free agents, including outfielder Curtis Granderson. The team hasn't been shy about wanting to get under the $189 million luxury tax threshold in 2014.
"For several reasons, it's important," Yankees co-owner Hal Steinbrenner said last week on WFAN radio. "And it's certainly a goal that we take seriously and we're gonna strive for, but as I've said before on numerous occasions, it's not gonna come at the expense of fielding a championship-caliber team. We know that's what we're expected to do, and we're gonna do it."
Beltran, 36, has a .283 career average with 358 home runs. He was traded from the Mets to the San Francisco Giants in July 2011 and signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals after the season. The eight-time All-Star debuted with the Kansas City Royals in 1998.
Beltran isn't ruling out anything -- even a return to the Mets.
"I'm going to listen to everybody and we'll see what happens," he told the New York Post earlier this month.
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