NEW YORK -- Carlos Beltran's agent said Tuesday he has now received offers from all teams involved in negotiations for the free-agent center fielder.
A day after Beltran and agent Scott Boras met with the Mets in Puerto Rico, a member of New York's front office said the team planned to have more talks.
Sources familiar with the negotiations told Newsday the Mets were finalizing the details of their offer, expected to be in the range of $100 million.
"He's a great player and a great person," said Mets special assistant Tony Bernazard, who attended Monday's four-hour session in San Juan. "We are very interested in him. That's why we came to Puerto Rico to talk to him."
Bernazard said the sides didn't talk about numbers during Monday's meeting.
This figures to be a key week in the Beltran negotiations, because the Houston Astros have a Saturday deadline to re-sign him.
After arriving back in California on Tuesday night, Boras said he didn't know when the Beltran negotiations would conclude. The Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers also are thought to be interested, but those teams have not publicly confirmed any involvement.
"We're certainly at the point now where we've gotten offers from all involved clubs," Boras said.
Boras had set a $119 million, or $17 million a year for seven years, as the entry-level bid sought for Beltran.
Several teams have reportedly submitted bids in the range of $90 million previously, meaning the Mets would be the highest bidder to date.
Because of their contract extension negotiations with Randy Johnson, which must conclude by Friday, the Yankees are expected to wait until the end of the week to decide the level of their involvement. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner met with Beltran in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 21, but New York officials still are awaiting a decision from Steinbrenner on the team's next step.
Some Yankees officials had been hesitant from the start to meet Boras' asking price, and they're expected not to compete with the Mets or others to get him.
Bernazard said the Mets weren't worried about competition from the Yankees.
"Pedro [Martinez] was not supposed to sign with us, and he's going to play with us," Bernazard said.
Jessica Lugo, Carlos Beltran's wife, said her husband had not yet ranked the teams.
"Each family member wants a different team, but he and I don't have a favorite yet," she was quoted as saying in Tuesday's editions of Primera Hora. "We are considering all options."
I hope he goes back to the Astros. They have invested so much in him, and have tried so hard to shift payroll to make room for him. It would just suck fo him to turn his back on them....and its not like they didnt give him a good deal.
RynMan wrote:I hope he goes back to the Astros. They have invested so much in him, and have tried so hard to shift payroll to make room for him. It would just suck fo him to turn his back on them....and its not like they didnt give him a good deal.
Scew the Astros.
Invested so much in him? How about the Royals? They are the ones that got screwed. The Astros knew it was a gamble when they made the trade so I don't feel bad for them if they lose out.
Maine has a good swing for a pitcher but on anything that moves, he has no chance. And if it's a fastball, it has to be up in the zone. Basically, the pitcher has to hit his bat. - Mike Pelfrey
I said it at the start of the Beltran mess and I'm sticking to it: Detroit is my dark horse. With the Red Wings sidelined I see the Tigers swooping in with a Texas-Arod type offer at the last moment and snatching him.
Maine has a good swing for a pitcher but on anything that moves, he has no chance. And if it's a fastball, it has to be up in the zone. Basically, the pitcher has to hit his bat. - Mike Pelfrey
Amazinz wrote:I said it at the start of the Beltran mess and I'm sticking to it: Detroit is my dark horse.
Don't count on it:
Rotoworld wrote:The Tigers have often been mentioned as a potential bidder, but it looks like they'll sit this one out. "We are not involved and we have never been involved," Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said. "Where the dollars are just does not make sense in our situation."
RynMan wrote:I hope he goes back to the Astros. They have invested so much in him, and have tried so hard to shift payroll to make room for him. It would just suck fo him to turn his back on them....and its not like they didnt give him a good deal.
While they made an attractive offer, they have not made the highest bid so far.
He's not betraying them whatsoever because, one day, the Astros/Mets/Cubs/Yankees/Tigers, their respective fans and baseball, in general, will turn their backs on him, just as they do with all players.
He deserves to sign with the team that pays him the most, just like you deserve to accept a job offer from the company that offers you the most, if that's what you and your family want.
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by rich101682 » Wed Jan 05, 2005 1:13 am 
