The Red Sox appear to be prepared for both scenarios, as evidenced by the Boston Herald's report that the team has expressed interest in free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre of the Mariners.
The report also says the Red Sox have shown some interest in reliever Mike Gonzalez and outfielders Matt Holliday and Rick Ankiel, though it is the Beltre aspect that is most interesting.
The Red Sox have a third baseman. They also have a first baseman who can play third base. Seattle, meanwhile, has a 23-year-old ace whom the Red Sox reportedly tried to acquire in July. Toronto has yet another ace, with whom the Red Sox reportedly have a mutual interest.
Getting either of those players would require giving up a number of players in return. Though anything at this point is pure speculation, it would be hard to imagine the Red Sox would acquire the 32-year-old Beltre without moving a player or two from their current infield. They probably wouldn't move Kevin Youkilis, who has a team-friendly contract, and it's unlikely there's a huge market for Mike Lowell, who is due $12 million in 2010 and didn't prove he was over his hip injury last season. But Theo Esptein's pulled some unexpected moves in the past, so nothing would be surprising.
The most likely scenario is that the Red Sox are setting some contingency plans and thought it would be a good idea to kick the tires on Beltre. He is a career .270 hitter with 250 home runs and 906 RBIs in 12 major league seasons. He won consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 2006 and 2007 and he has a career .957 fielding percentage at third base.
Beltre's contract, which paid him $12.8 million per season from 2005-09, expired at the end of last season. He's due for a major pay cut after hitting .265 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs in 111 games last season, and he is a Type B free agent.
