More Beltran Speculation

At 100 Million for 6 years or 110 for years, Beltran is a relative bargain.  We tend to always look at the negative aspects of a multiple year deal, but securing a quality ballplayer in his prime can have its advantages too -- and if the markets just follows the rate of inflations; saving an extra 2 mil or so a year isn't a bad thing.

Assuming of course that the team has done its homework.  You could make a case that Beltran is among the top 5 players out there (at least based on last year's numbers) and considering his age, speed and defensive prowess, he could maintain that position for a long time, but then again, there were people who made similar comparisons to the likes of Richard Hildalgo or even Magglio pre-injury.  In any case, I don't see many better candidates coming on the market in the next year or two -- and they certainly won't come down in price -- and I'd rather pay a small premium for that top tier guy -- vs. near-top dollar for a guy without that top-tier potential who's more likely to fall flat on his face.