Texas Rangers rumors: Adrian Beltre to Angels an option if no extension

Texas Rangers rumors:  Adrian Beltre and the Anaheim Angels could be a match if the Texas Rangers can't work out an extension with Beltre and Adrian hits free agency, according to Jon Heyman on Twitter.

Adrian Beltre finishing his Hall of Fame career with the Angels?  The very thought of it makes my stomach hurt.

And of course, that may be the whole point of Heyman -- who is supposedly tight with Beltre's agent, Scott Boras -- raising the specter of the Angels.  Beltre wants to stay in Texas, Texas wants to extend him, and talking about the possibility of the Angels going after Beltre is the type of thing an agent would plant to try to goose a team into conceding a little more.

That said, I expect a deal to be worked out, along the lines of two years with a vesting option, at somewhere between the $18M per year Beltre is making this year and the $20M I'm betting he's asking for.  I think Beltre finishes his career with Texas, and is a first-ballot Hall of Famer with a "T" on his hat on his HOF plaque.

That being said, I also think that there would be no shortage of suitors for Beltre, should he hit the open market.  Along with the Angels, Houston has no long-term third baseman and would no doubt love to steal Beltre from their in-state rival, and if Mike Ilitch is still alive in eight months, Detroit would appear to be a team that would potentially pursue Beltre.

So let's hope a deal is struck and we can all celebrate Beltre's 2016, secure in the knowledge it won't be his final year as a Ranger.