Trading Carlos Beltran depends a lot on Carlos Beltran, given his full no-trade clause. And, as David Lennon of Newsday reports, Beltran may be prepared to use it if the Mets plan on trading him to certain types of teams. Here’s Lennon:
… the most coveted outfielder on the trade market has told friends that he prefers to stay in the National League , according to people familiar with his situation. Beltran also told Newsday this week that two other critical factors will influence his decision — the quality of a team’s pitching staff and his aversion to being the DH.
He hasn’t ruled out a trade to the AL publicly, but doing so would make little sense for him because he’d just be painted as a pain in the butt if he did. The only time where Beltran’s preferences truly matter are when the Mets approach him and he is forced to give the deal a yes or no vote. And, if Lennon’s sources are right, he may be far less willing to move to the junior circuit.