When the Yankees outbid the Royals, of all teams, nearly two years ago for the services of Carlos Beltrán, it looked like yet another great move for a team that can afford nearly any free agent on the open market.
Beltrán, then 36, had played in at least 140 games each of the previous three seasons with St. Louis, San Francisco, and the New York Mets and he'd made the All-Star team each year. Clearly, when he’s healthy, he can play—or at least hit.
But last year, the first of a three-year, $45 million deal, Beltrán wasn’t very healthy. He underwent surgery on a bone spur in his elbow and missed roughly a third of the season. The result was the worst batting line of his career—.233/.301/.402 (average/on-base/slugging) while playing in just 109 games.
