Carlos Beltran told manager Terry Collins today that he would accept a move to right field so that Angel Pagan can take over center. Beltran is still slightly hobbled by the knee surgery he had just over a year ago. Although he played center field in the second half of last season, he really couldn’t move very well and was playing more on reputation than skill.
At first blush it seems like an altruistic move by Beltran. He puts the team first and moves out of the way for the young buck, Pagan. Apparently, Carlos Delgado and Scott Boras helped him come to this conclusion. You know if Boras is involved that there’s more to it than putting the team first.
I have to think that there’s a strategy here. Beltran said that he thinks he can still play center and if he had more time that he’d be able to get in shape to play a solid center field. Since this is a contract year for Beltran, I believe that this is a strategic move to maximize Beltran’s value for another contract.
Check out the video below to hear Beltran talking about the adjustments he’ll need to make switching from center to right field.
http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf
The Mets Report 