Was a Top Pitching Prospect Worth Losing Carlos Beltran?

The Mets have reached an agreement in principle to send All-Star Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants, The Star-Ledger has confirmed. The team has yet to confirm the deal, but Carlos Beltran has yet to arrive to Great American Ball Park and manager Terry Collins indicated he was not allowed to use him in tonight's game against the Reds. In exchange for Carlos Beltran, the Mets will receive Zack Wheeler, the Giants' top pitching prospect, a hard-throwing right-hander who was the No. 6 pick in the 2009 draft. The Mets will also send cash to the Giants, a number reportedly around $4 million. Carlos Beltran's 6 1/2-year contract expires at the end of the season and the Mets will pay two-thirds of the $6 million remaining on the deal, according to the New York Post. Earlier this month, Baseball America rated Wheeler as the No. 35 prospect in the game. He figures to forge a formidable tandem with the No. 30 prospect on that list, Matt Harvey, the Mets' first-round pick in 2010.