I haven’t written anything about Carlos Beltran since he allowed his deadline for signing with the Astros to pass at 11:00 on Saturday night, but since he’s now been officially introduced as the newest member of the New York Mets (gag, hack, cough) I suppose I can comment.
As the days and weeks since October slipped by with no news about Beltran, I grew more and more certain that he wasn’t coming back. As I checked the news continually on Saturday night, each hour that passed without news of a signing made me sadder. So when I finally saw that the deadline had indeed passed without an agreement, I wasn’t surprised. I’m disappointed that he won’t be coming back to Houston. I’m disappointed that he couldn’t see how much this city wanted him to stay, how much the team wanted him to stay. The Astros offered him a larger contract than they have ever offered any player in their 32-year history. The Astros basically put the offseason on hold until Saturday, waiting to see what Beltran would do, waiting to see where he would go, waiting while $@#!ing Scott Boras playing the same game he plays every offseason with every high-dollar free agent. Yet agents act on behalf of the player, and I can’t even blame Boras, as much as I’d like to.
I could blame the Astros, and say that they didn’t try hard enough to bring him back, to convince him that Houston was where he wanted to be. But I don’t think it was their fault. Tim Purpua, the Astros GM, said they ran out of time. Drayton McLane, the owner, said it was a lack of face time that doomed negotiations. But you know what? If Carlos Beltran wanted to return to the Astros, he would have. He didn’t leave for lack of money, for lack of fan support, for lack of an organization that desperately wanted him in the center of their outfield and the heart of their batting order.
If he had really wanted to be here, he would be here.
The more I think about negotiations proceeded (or at least how they appeared to proceed according to the news reports), the more I think that Carlos never wanted to come back to Houston. He said he did. He said he liked the city, and the people, and the team. But I think it was all talk. I don’t think he ever had any intention of coming back here.
And that makes me sad too.
Oh, to lose a player to Mets. Talk about insult to injury.
Ugh. Why can’t the mets at least outlaw that ugly orange uniform? Like rubbing salt in my wounds everytime I see Glavine.
The only consolation is that the Mets stink.
Nothing but bad for baseball, if you ask me. At least he didn’t go to the Yankees or (although I am a huge fan) the Red Sox. Now, I don’t have to worry about becoming Evil Empire ][.
Plus, I can still root for Wade Miller.
Let’s go Mets! Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets! Let’s Go Mets!
Pedro, Carlos, its gonna be the Mets year!
beltran, bet you feel like an ass now eh? insult to injury must come when you lose to the ugly uniforms. how does it feel to be a jerk?