The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to terms with veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran on Thursday, and some details of the deal have emerged. Beltran's contract is worth $26 million over two seasons, according to Derrick Goold. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Beltran received a full no-trade clause from the Cards.
Over at Viva El Birdos, they've already begun a thorough review of Beltran, and while they like the offense he adds to the team, they have some concerns about his ability to play center field:
UZR did not like Beltran in right field last season at all while Total Zone and the Fielding Bible rate him better by degrees. Given the size of the data sample--one season--and the differing results, the expectations for Beltran's defense in 2012 are murky. That being said, if he is to play center field, I'd say it's a good bet that he will be below average. Beltran is no longer the elite defensive outfielder he was in his prime. Like Lance Berkman entering the 2011 season, the question at this point in Beltran's career is whether he can play defense at a level high enough to justify playing his bat in center field.
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