Tigers trade talk: What about Carlos Beltran?

There's been some talk the Tigers could use more help in the corner outfield and might even be seeking it. This confuses me a bit. Where are they going to put Magglio Ordonez and Brennan Boesch if they do that? Ordonez's numbers for the season may not look good but since returning from the disabled list he's a lot more Maggs-like. And we know what Boesch did in the second half last season, but he seems to be a lot more consistent this year. It's hard to make a dramatic upgrade over him.

But what replacing center field Austin Jackson?

Bill Shea of Crain's Detroit Business brings up the name of Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who was a regular center fielder in the past and still plays there on occasion this year.

The star-crossed New York franchise may be willing to give up the 34-year-old outfielder for the right price, and Detroit has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for the 6-1, 215 pound lifetime .282 hitter (find his career stats here).

*snip*

There certainly are questions on Detroit's end. Will they actually make a move? Can they put together a realistic offer that doesn't harm the team in the long run? Will the deal be better than the Giants' offer? Where would Beltran play? Does he lose effectiveness in the vast grassland prairie that is Comerica Park?

Beltran is curently batting .285 with .377 on-base percentage and .503 slugging average. He has 13 home runs. His UZR in center field has been negative so far this year, as well as last. The number of innings is limited, however, so that stat might not tell us much. Fans gave him above-average marks for instincts, arm strength and accuracy, hands and release in last year's Fan's Scouting Report compiled by TangoTiger.

Shea concludes:

A slugger like Beltran is a guy you add if you think you can't get a reliable starting pitcher, meaning your plan is to outscore rather than out-pitch the opposition. And starting pitching is hard to come by (in case you hadn't noticed by Detroit's entire rotation other than that pretty good Justin Verlander guy).

Of course, I think this is just kind of "wouldn't-it-be-nice" speculation on Shea's part.

The Giants might be the main suitor for Beltran, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote this morning. He also mentioned the Mets would likely pick up a fair amount of his salary to move him, and that the take from the Brewers for closer Francisco Rodriguez was minimal. However like many players, Beltran has a no-trade clause.

Rosenthal says:

The Mets are in discussions with a number of teams on Beltran. It’s possible that Boras might prefer the outfielder to go to the American League and prove he can handle a designated hitter’s role before becoming a free agent. Many in the industry also expect Boras to seek a form of compensation – probably a cash bonus - for Beltran to waive his no-trade clause.

So what do you think it would cost to get Beltran, and would you want him? Where would he play?