Sox Make Beltre an Offer

The Sox interest in Adrian Beltre has been well documented this off-season, but it appeared to be put to rest once the Mike Lowell trade fell through. According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, the Sox have been engaged in conversations with Beltre behind closed doors for awhile and made him an offer of a 2 year contract. This offer raises the obvious question of what to do with Mike Lowell if Beltre comes to Boston.

If the Sox are to beat out the other competition, they would have 2 highly paid third basemen on their roster. Lowell’s health is obviously a concern, only days after thumb surgery, so to rely on him being the starter at third is not smart, but with the addition of Beltre, the Sox would need to trade Lowell to free up some salary room. With his a fore health issues and his increasing age, it is likely that if the Sox trade Lowell, they will receive very little in return, using the trade as mostly a salary dump, something that Lowell is very familiar with.

Either way, it appears Beltre will be making a decision relatively soon. If the Sox management is focusing on pitching and defense upgrades this offseason, Beltre certainly be an improvement defensively at third base. More to come as the story develops.

Tags: Adrian Beltre, Mike Lowell, Rumors