Beltran goes to Astros in three-way deal

By John Manuel
June 25, 2004

Everyone in baseball knew Royals general manager Allard Baird had to trade Carlos Beltran. That was the whole problem.

Baird pulled the trigger Thursday night, sending Beltran to the Astros in a three-way trade. The Athletics netted righthander Octavio Dotel in the transaction, as well as less than $1 million in cash. For Beltran, the Royals received three minor leaguers--catcher John Buck from the Astros, and third baseman Mark Teahen and righthander Mike Wood from the A's.

Oakland gets the power arm it has coveted for its bullpen in Dotel, 30, who has been inconsistent as the Astros' closer this season while replacing Billy Wagner. He was 0-4, 3.12 with 14 saves this season, with a 50-15 strikeout-walk ratio in 35 innings.

Beltran was hitting .278/.367/.534 this season, with 15 homers and 51 RBIs. He's regarded as a fluid, above-average defender in center field, and he's an exceptional baserunner who was 14-for-17 in stealing bases this season.

The Royals' return on Beltran, a 27-year-old impending free agent and five-tool center fielder, seems reasonable considering the circumstances. Beltran and his agent, Scott Boras, have insisted all along that the outfielder would exercise his free agency this offseason, and no team can expect to get a hometown discount. Because the Royals fell out of contention in the American League Central quickly, and because Baird felt he had to get something for Beltran in a trade, the Royals were going to have a hard time getting fair value for their best player.

As it is, Baird got three players who have a chance to be big league regulars, and all three are already in Triple-A. Teahen, a supplemental first-round pick in 2002 out of Saint Mary's, began the year as the No. 15 prospect in the A's system, but he has had a breakout 2004 season, earning a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento after hitting .335-6-36 at Double-A Midland.

Since his promotion, Teahen has batted .275-0-10 in 69 at-bats, with eight doubles. Power is the biggest question mark with Teahen. He had a .543 slugging percentage at Midland, but his .391 mark at Sacramento is closer to the .366 career slugging mark he had entering the 2004 season. Teahen, 22, also has a 40-66 walk-strikeout ratio in 266 at-bats this season. He has a plus arm and average range, and had made just six errors in 73 games this season.

Wood, 24, ranked ahead of Teahen on the A's list to start the year, at No. 12 on their Top 30. He was 11-3, 2.80 at Triple-A Sacramento this season and was 9-3, 3.05 there last year. In a brief big league trip last year, Wood went 2-1, 10.54 and was hit hard, giving up 24 hits in 14 innings.

A 10th-round pick in 2001 out of North Florida, Wood lacks overpowering stuff. He's a sinkerballer who throws in the 86-89 mph range, and he commands the pitch well. He also commands his split-finger fastball and changeup, both average offerings. Wood, who was a dominating closer in college, profiles as either a middle reliever or back-of-the-rotation starter.

Buck, who turns 24 on July 7, has had a bounce-back year at Triple-A New Orleans after struggling the last two seasons. He was hitting .300-12-35 in 227 at-bats for the Zephyrs. Buck's solid raw power and a return to health have allowed him to break out this season. A broken hand short-circuited his 2003 season, but he's already matched his home run total for all of 2002, his last full season.

Buck is an above-average defender, and Pacific Coast League managers named him the best defensive catcher in the league last summer in BA's Best Tools survey. He has leadership skills that allow him to take charge of a pitching staff and does a great job of handling breaking pitches in the dirt. He has a plus arm, though his long throwing motion sometimes leads to slumps in throwing runners out.