Astros: Carlos Beltran will decide soon if he retires or plays on

Carlos Beltran is contemplating his next step after winning the World Series with the Astros.

After 20 MLB seasons, Carlos Beltran finally gets his ring by winning the World Series. He did so in his second stint with the Astros. We all remember the 2004 season where Beltran was acquired, and how he was a one-man decking crew with the bat. After rotating between a few teams since 2005, Beltran returns home.

While he wasn’t the same player, his presence in the locker room helped this team win it all. After 2016 between the Yankees and Rangers, it looked like Beltran had some pop left in his bat. In 2016, Beltran batted .295 with 29 homers and 93 runs driven in.

The Astros brought him in with the hope that he could duplicate that season. It’s a lot to ask of a 40-year-old hitter who just doesn’t have the bat speed he used to. In 2017, Beltran batted .241 with 14 homers and 51 runs batted in. The effect he had on the other players was worth the 16 million dollars that Beltran earned.

Beltran has been historically a great playoffs hitter, but not quite this year. A career .307 hitter in the playoffs, he only got three at-bats in the World Series this year. He was limited to a pinch-hitter role but went 0-3 in those at-bats. Overall, in twenty at-bats, Beltran had three hits for a .150 batting average.

What’s next?

Now that Beltran has his ring, he is pondering what his next step will be. What’s he thinking about? Let’s read what he said via NY Daily News’ article.

"“I will be making the decision in a week from now,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s not a difficult decision. Should I go traveling one more year or I decide to stay home.”"

Beltran has his ring. Now he can decide when to quit. He has had a Hall of Fame type of career. There is no need for him to continue just accumulate stats. Beltran has the chance to walk away on his own accord and spend more time with family.

From NY Daily News, Beltran is endorsing Alex Rodriguez to become the next Yankees manager. That would be an interesting selection to replace Joe Girardi. It seems like people have forgotten that Rodriguez got in trouble with PEDs. If that’s the case, Beltran could go with Rodriguez in some capacity as a coach.

The Astros have grown up this year, so they don’t need to bring Beltran back. At the beginning of the season, Beltran was willing to come back for 2018. After achieving his lifelong goal, he can hang up his hat and cleats for good. It’s in his hands now.

Next: Was Carlos Correa snubbed for the Silver Slugger Award?

How would the Astros replace Beltran? A combo of Evan Gattis and A.J. Reed could do the job. Gattis heated up towards the end of the season, but it’s risky using him as a designated hitter in case he’s needed as a catcher. If they add another catcher, they could use Gattis as the pure DH. Reed or Tyler White could be involved as well.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***