Beltre 'relieved' to remain with Rangers

PHOENIX -- Adrián Beltré batted cleanup and was playing third base for the Rangers on Tuesday night.
There needed to be a trifecta of conditions to line up for Beltre to get traded before Tuesday's 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline, and it didn't come close to happening. Beltre remains with the Rangers for the foreseeable future.
"I'm fine with it," Beltre said. "Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of thinking, a lot of expectations, wait and see. Today was a busy morning. But I'm relieved to know that I am going to be here for who knows how long."
For a trade to happen and for Beltre to waive his 10-and-5 veto rights, the interest had to come from a team that was in first place or close to it with real chance of winning the World Series. That team needed to have a meaningful role for Beltre and not looking for just a bench player who could provide clubhouse leadership. That club also had to be willing to offer the Rangers a significant package in return.
For all the rumors and speculation, those three factors never lined up.
"It never got to that point," Beltre said. "It never got close to where I had to make a decision."
The Red Sox had a need for an infielder, but they opted to trade for second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Angels. The Braves had a spot for Beltre, but they are a longshot to win the World Series. The Indians had interest but couldn't match up with the Rangers on a trade.
Texas general manager Jon Daniels kept Beltre updated throughout the process.
"Our process with Adrian was not one where we were negotiating deals and then bring it to Adrian," Daniels said. "Any time a team inquired, I would let him know. After the All-Star break, he gave me some feedback on the teams that made most sense to him with the caveat that he wanted to understand the role on the club. Based on that feedback, we talked to those teams that made more sense to him."

Daniels praised Beltre for having a complete grasp of all the factors involved.
"I will say this: Throughout him giving us his feedback, it was about the most selfless, big picture broad vision that I've ever seen," Daniels said. "If he was going to go somewhere, it was going to be somewhere he could win, but also somewhere where he could play and contribute. He didn't want to be a cheerleader. He was very clear about that.
"But he was also clear that he didn't want to go somewhere that would lead to us not getting a good deal. He wasn't picking prospects, but he was concerned about the organization, and genuinely so. Not that any of us should be surprised with Adrian that he's that kind of guy, but it really did blow me away. It was really awesome to hear."
Beltre's situation is not completely resolved. The Rangers will put him through waivers in August as they do with all their players. If Beltre is claimed, then the Rangers can attempt to work out a trade with that team. If Beltre clears waivers, he is back in the situation he has been the past couple of weeks.
"We'll see," Daniels said. "We'll see how that goes. We typically put just about all of our guys through, so we will with Adrian as well, and we'll see if a team claims, we've got two days to talk with that one specific club. If he makes it through, then it opens it up back again, but as we've done throughout the process, we'll keep communicating with Adrian. It's been a true back-and-forth conversation and discussion."
Beltre said he will continue to stay open-minded about the possibility.
"We still have a chance but ... if, if, if," Beltre said. "If it makes sense for everybody. It's not always what you want. You can't pick and choose where you want to go. I'm not going to demand to be traded. It's not fair to everybody. I have been here eight years, they gave me the chance to win in six of those years. The fans have been great to me. I don't want to be selfish."
Then there is next season. Beltre made it clear he's undecided if he'll play next season. But if he does, his preference is to be with the Rangers even though it might be another losing season.
"I don't know. … I don't know if he knows," Daniels said. "He's told us [something] pretty similar to what he's said publicly, which is he's going to digest everything, go home and be with his family, see how his body feels in the winter. I don't know if it's really fair for us to ask him right now. He'll let us know when we get to the offseason, and we've got some planning to do of our own, and we'll stay in touch."