Outfielder Carlos Beltran will spend his 20th MLB season in Houston after signing a one-year, $16 million contract with the Astros on Saturday.
ESPN's Buster Olney was the first to report the move, while Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports added the terms, which include a full no-trade clause.
The 39-year-old veteran is coming off his best season in recent memory, as he hit .295 with 29 home runs and 93 RBI in an All-Star campaign split between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.
That marked his best production since All-Star years in 2012 and 2013 with the St. Louis Cardinals, and his 151 games played were his most since 2012 as well.
Both the Yanks and Rangers kept Beltran fresh by using him often at designated hitter, as 73 of his starts came at DH.
Beltran hit .280 with seven homers and 29 RBI in 52 contests down the stretch for the Rangers last season and added some punch to their lineup.
According to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News, Beltran spoke positively of his experiences with the Rangers after they were ousted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS: "I really did enjoy myself here. The time I spent here with a special group of guys was amazing. There was a great chemistry that I was able to be part of. Right now, I want to go home and take a mental break and decide what's next for my career."
Per MLB.com's TR Sullivan, the nine-time All-Star also expressed interest in returning to the Rangers for the 2017 season:
The switch-hitter and potential Hall of Famer has produced at every stop during his MLB career, including stints with the Kansas City Royals, Astros, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers.
Despite never having won a World Series, Beltran is among the best postseason performers of all time with a .323 batting average, 16 home runs, 41 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 45 runs scored in 55 career postseason games.
His resume is matched by few, and it is easy to see why the Astros, with their championship aspirations, pushed to sign him.
Although he only spent a short amount of time with the Rangers, his absence will undoubtedly be felt in 2017, since he made the middle of the order far more dangerous.
The Astros will now reap the benefits of Beltran's big bat, and Beltran will attempt to make at least one more run at the championship ring that has eluded him.
Houston has loaded up offensively this offseason by trading for catcher Brian McCann and signing outfielder Josh Reddick, and the addition of Beltran makes its lineup even more dangerous.
The Astros are stacked with young talent, so bringing in a veteran with a track record of playoff success like Beltran may be exactly what they need to take that next step.
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