Washington Nationals Trade Target: Carlos Beltran

With almost two weeks to go until the trade deadline, would Carlos Beltran be a good fit with the Washington Nationals?

With a little over two weeks away from the MLB Trade Deadline, we continue to look at some possible players the Washington Nationals could target in trades. Today, we take a look at New York Yankees right fielder Carlos Beltran as a possible option.

One of the stories around baseball has been whether or not the Yankees will be sellers at the trade deadline for the first time since 1992. They are 44-46 after yesterday’s loss and according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and MLB Network, Beltran would be one of the players the Yankees sell if they continue to spiral:

On Thursday, William Ladson of MLB.com wrote that a source told him Beltran could be one of the players the Washington Nationals go after on the Yankees, in addition to relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. Here’s more from Ladson:

"“The source also said the Nationals could be looking for another bat. Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran and Reds slugger Jay Bruce have been mentioned as players who could help improve the Nats’ offense short term.”"

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Even at age 39, Beltran is having a strong season in Yankee pinstripes. The All-Star is hitting .294 with 19 home runs, 58 RBI’s, and he has a .882 OPS. Beltran has already tied his home run total from last season and is five off his 2013 total with the St. Louis Cardinals.

When you talk about Beltran, the first thing that comes to mind about the career about the nine-time All-Star is that he plays his best when the lights shine the brightest. In his postseason career, Beltran has a .332 average with 16 home runs and 40 RBI’s in 11 series.

The main difference between Beltran and Bruce, who we have already profiled, is that Bruce has the ability to play first base. Plus, according to Fangraphs, he has had a combined -24 runs saved over the last two seasons.

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Beltran should have many teams looking to trade for him in the final year of his contract. The one problem for the Washington Nationals is that they don’t have a fit for him in their outfield, unless there is an injury or if Bryce Harper moves to center field, which I don’t see happening.

In the end, the main goals for the Washington Nationals going into the trade deadline should be to add another bullpen arm or get some help at first base, depending upon how long Ryan Zimmerman is on the disabled list with the rib injury. I expect Beltran to find his way to a contending team, but I would be surprise if that team ended up being the Washington Nationals.