Carlos Beltran — unlike Francisco Rodriguez — has full no-trade rights, with no chance of a missing list.
Now, it’s up to the Mets to decide whether to move him by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
“I’ll continue to play hard till my last days here,” Beltran said before hitting a long homer in the eighth inning of last night’s 7-2 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field to open the second half of the season. “It could be two weeks from now, it could be years from now. Who knows?”
Beltran, in the middle of a healthy and productive season, has emerged as one of the top options for teams looking for a bat on the trade market, so his days as a Met figure to be numbered.
After hitting his long homer in the eighth, Beltran admitted he likely opened some teams’ eyes.
“In the situation [that] I am in, that probably is happening,” he said.
And he and agent Scott Boras will have say in where Beltran will be come Aug. 1, something Rodriguez didn’t because his former agent neglected to submit his list before a deal was struck.
Beltran wouldn’t provide any details in what he might be looking for in a trade, other than to say he wanted to continue to play the outfield instead of DH.
“Right now, I’m just going to listen to the proposals they make,” Beltran said. “If it makes sense for me, we’ll move forward. If it doesn’t make sense, I’m not going to make the decision [to leave].”
General manager Sandy Alderson said he wants to let the team play for another two weeks before reaching a conclusion about Beltran, and Tuesday’s trade of Rodriguez to the Brewers was not an indication the “Everything must go” sign was up.
When asked if he thought the Mets were still in the playoff hunt, Beltran said, “I think we’re playing good. We need to improve as a team. Only time will let us know what’s going to happen.”
Many of his contemporaries think he’ll be on the move. Giants closer Brian Wilson openly campaigned to get Beltran on his team, while Beltran’s former Mets teammate, Brian Schneider, said Beltran would be a “good fit” with his current team in Philadelphia.
“I’ve already made it clear to the [Mets] that I would love to finish my career here,” Beltran said. “I understand the organization’s plans are not the plans you’re thinking of. I’m prepared for anything.
“There’s been a lot [said] about me going different places. But right now, I’m a Met . . . I think the organization already knows the plans. I don’t know whether they’re willing to share them or not.”
Asked if he still expected to be a Met in August, Beltran said: “Why not? I haven’t heard anything different.”