Things sound like they're heating up in the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes, with the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers being the most likely destinations. Talks today on Twitter sound like Zack Wheeler may be a piece going back to the Mets for Beltran, but no deal has been struck yet.
↵Still, from the sounds of things, it could happen fast. The bigger issue is that a Carlos Beltran deal today will dramatically increase the bidding for Hunter Pence. With Beltran off the market, teams will be forced to overpay for Pence, if they want the last impact bat on the market.
↵Reports are still trickling out that Houston wants too much for Pence, that they want a high, high level pitching prospect or at least four big-name prospects or even that Houston will wait until the offseason to get Pence. I don't know what to believe at this point, but I can tell you that if Beltran gets dealt before the July 31 deadline, things are going to heat up on Pence quickly. If the Giants lose out to the Rangers on Pence, they might decide to go all-in for Pence. The Phillies might also be spurred to give up Dom Brown and change for Pence or two of their bigger pitching prospects.
↵Basically, this will only help Pence's market if Beltran does get dealt soon. We'll find out this weekend how that will work out in the end.
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