MLB Roundup 11/14: Carlos Beltran retires

Carlos Beltran announces his retirement

Carlos Beltran is perhaps the best center fielder of his generation, though for whatever reason he never really got the full credit he deserved over his career. It’s been a hell of a ride, though, and he topped it off by finally taking home a World Series with the Astros this year. He decided to go out on top, and on Monday he announced that he’d be retiring from baseball. Since the announcement has come down, most of the discussion around Beltran has been around the idea that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. To be honest, I hate Hall of Fame discussions — they’ve been ruined for me over the last five years or so — but that this is even a discussion is crazy to me. Beltran is one of the best all-around players of the last 20 years and he’s one of the best postseason players of all time. I can’t possibly see the argument against voting for him, and if he doesn’t make it in five years, the hall with all the plaques in that museum is an even bigger joke than it already was.

All nine qualifying offers were rejected

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but it’s relevant for a Red Sox team that is expected to play a big role in free agency. All nine players who received a qualifying offer will reject it, according to Jon Heyman of Fangrag sports. As you may recall, the updates to the CBA made last year have changed this process, and the penalty a team pays for signing a qualifying offer free agent is now dependent on whether or not they paid the luxury tax and whether or not they receive revenue sharing. The Red Sox do not do any of those things — at least not in 2017 — so if they sign a free agent who got a qualifying offer (Eric Hosmer and Carlos Santana are the most likely for Boston), they’d give up their second highest draft pick as well as $500,000 in international signing money.

• The Orioles are willing to listen to offers on Zach Britton, Jon Heyman reports. This is not a huge surprise, as the Orioles could use a boost for their farm system and Britton represents a tantalizing trade piece. Teams like the Dodgers and Cubs will certainly be interested, and they could even try to trade major-league pieces for the lefty reliever. What’s more interesting is whether or not the Orioles will go full rebuild and decide to trade Manny Machado one year before he’s set to hit free agency.
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN has released his annual offseason survey of executives around the league. This is always one of my favorite reads of the winter, and I definitely encourage you to read the whole thing to find out what GM’s think will happen this winter. For what it’s worth, it seems Boston is a heavy favorite for J.D. Martinez.