If you can get Beltran, you get him NOW!

Earlier this month around the All-Star break, the popular trade rumor involving the Braves dealt with the team looking to move pitcher Derek Lowe. Now with the trading deadline upon us, the Braves as of Tuesday morning, were waist-deep in Carlos Beltran trade rumors. The Mets outfielder is a switch-hitter who is having quite a year while seeking a new contract. The career .282 hitter is hitting over .290 with higher on-base, slugging and OPS percentages than throughout the course of his 14-year career. Beltran has missed a large portion of the last two seasons but seems healthy this year and has hit 15 home runs as of Monday. ESPN.com is reporting that the Braves have considered dangling former first-round draftee Mike Minor, a left-handed starting pitcher, in trying to acquire Beltran, who could platoon in center or in rightfield. The Phillies, Red Sox and Giants are also in the chase for Beltran.

What would Beltran mean for Atlanta? The Dan Uggla trade and signing was supposed to give the lineup a powerful right-handed bat and while Uggla has slugged 18 home runs entering the Pirates series, the average is still around .200 instead of .260 and the RBIs are only at 40, a pace well below the 93 he usually averages. Martin Prado is the only other starter that is a regular righty and while Chipper Jones is also a switch-hitter, Beltran would be nice to have in there to potentially be a right-handed bat. Beltran also seems to rise up when the calendar switches to October. In 2004 when Beltran was acquired by the Astros for the playoff run, the outfielder slugged 23 home runs with 53 RBIs in 90 games, then hit four home runs against the Braves in the NLDS. Beltran followed that up with four more home runs in the NLCS but Houston lost to St. Louis. In 2006, after slugging 41 home runs for the Mets in the regular season, Beltran knocked three more dingers in the NLCS but New York fell once again to the St. Louis Cardinals. In twenty-two postseason games, Beltran has eleven home runs. Let me repeat that: in twenty-two postseason games, Beltran has eleven home runs!

The Braves have plenty of pitcher prospects in the system with Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Arodys Vizcaino and this year’s first round pick Sean Gilmartin, not to mention Brandon Beachy. Moving a Minor, though never fun, might be well worth it if Beltran can come through with the numbers he put up with Houston and New York in postseason play.