White Sox: Carlos Beltran An Intriguing DH Candidate for Next Season
White Sox would be wise to target veteran All-Star for designated hitter role. Despite age, the veteran hit for high average this season with Yankees, Rangers.
The Chicago White Sox badly need a short-term solution at designated hitter. If the Sox are hoping to contend next season, they will need to sign a solid designated hitter. The Sox could very well accomplish this by signing veteran Carlos Beltran.
Beltran, coming off another impressive season with the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers will turn 40 on April 24. Despite his age, Beltran has proved he can still produce offensively from both sides of the plate. The switch-hitter hit .295 with 29 home runs and 93 RBI’s. Beltran could very will be a short-term solution at designated hitter for the Sox.
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The Sox most likely won’t spend a lot of money in pursuit of a younger and long-term solution at designated hitter. Targeting Beltran could fit well into the team’s frugal budget. Beltran can also provide the Sox offense with more stability from both sides of the plate.
This past season, Beltran hit .279 as a left-handed hitter and hit .338 on the right side of the plate. The Sox already have a switch-hitter in Melky Cabrera, but adding another competent switch-hitter to its lineup wouldn’t hurt. Beltran is a career .281 hitter through 18 seasons, and he would certainly add a veteran presence to the Sox clubhouse.
Beltran also has postseason experience, something many current Sox players don’t have. The biggest risk in signing Beltran is his age. Many Sox fans might be worried about Beltran possibly declining, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it happened in a Sox unifrom. However, Beltran has only one season where he hit less than .240 in a season. This came in 2013 with the Yankees when he hit .233 in just 109 games.
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The Sox need a solid solution at designated hitter. This isn’t to fault Justin Morneau who was adequate in the role this past season. But Morneau hasn’t played more than 140 games in a season since 2013. Beltran is coming off an impressive season, and can provide options from both sides of the plate. If the Sox want to spend within its budget and try to contend, the wise decision is targeting Beltran. It will be up to the Sox to actually put forth the effort of attempting to sign Beltran.