To Beltre or Not To Beltre: A Conundrum for G.M. Z

Adrian Beltre has been a frustrating signing for the fans of Seattle. A player coming off a career year in 2004, Beltre was signed, along with Richie Sexson, to provide the Mariners with more pop at the corners.  G.M. Bill Bavasi had a decision. The Mariners needed offense in a bad way. They had one of the worst seasons in recent memory, finishing dead last in the AL West with a record of 63-99. They were outscored by an abysmal 125 runs, ranking them dead last in the AL.  The solution, or so it appeared, was at hand, with two big-time sluggers available via free agency. Richie Sexson was signed to a four year contract, but we're going to focus on Adrian Beltre. In 2004, Beltre batted .334 with 48 home runs and 121 RBI, to go along with a 1.017 OPS and 200 hits, all career highs. To top it all off, he played great defense at the hot corner.  Bavasi immediately jumped in with both feet, signing Beltre away from L.A. to the tune of five years, $64 million. Why not? ...