Carlos Beltran Officially a Giant

The Carlos Beltran(notes) trade is close enough to complete that we can put it under the roto microscope. The Giants welcomed Carlos Beltran to their outfield in a Wednesday afternoon swap, and they'll also receive cash considerations (the Mets are picking up the check, essentially). New York gets pitching prospect Zach Wheeler, a 21-year-old righty who's in High-A ball. Carlos Beltran probably will settle in as San Francisco's right fielder, joining the team at some point Thursday. He's a free agent after the year. AT&T Park might not be the best place for his skills (mediocre lineup around him and a roomy park to hit in), but we can say similar things about Citi Field. So it's probably a lateral move for his 2011 value. And heck, Carlos Beltran's career slash lines in both parks are similar; it washes out to a .848 OPS in New York and a .858 OPS by the bay. So long as Carlos Beltran stays healthy, the Giants have a quality stick here. With Beltran and Andres Torres(notes) set as two-thirds of the San Francisco outfield, everyone else gets thrown into the left-field traffic jam. Cody Ross(notes), Nate Schierholtz(notes) and Brandon Belt(notes) are now scurrying for a life raft in McCovey Cove, and it's hard to imagine any of them being an everyday player for the final quarter of the year as the roster is currently constructed. The Mets now have more outfield at-bats to play with, but there's nothing exciting about players like Jason Pridie(notes), Willie Harris(notes), and Lucas Duda(notes). They'll have to play their way into our mixed-league plans. We'll believe it when we see it. Wheeler was the sixth overall pick in 2009's draft and was ranked the No. 55 prospect in the game by Baseball America before the season. He's stuck out 168 men in 146.2 professional innings, along with a 3.99 ERA and 1.405 WHIP. Consistent control is the bugaboo thus far, as he's walked 4.8 batters per nine innings. One residual to the Carlos Beltran deal, when it's officially in the can: it opens the door for the Astros to potentially reopen the Hunter Pence(notes) sweepstakes. There are plenty of NL contenders that would love Pence for a corner outfield spot (Atlanta jumps to mind), and while Houston has occasionally said in recent days that Pence is off the market, this looks like the perfect time to trade him with maximum leverage. The Carlos Beltran deal could also push the Rays closer to a dance partner for B.J. Upton(notes). Settle in, gamers, a lot more dominoes will be falling this week.