Houston won the OF-S Carlos Beltran sweepstakes yesterday with the Astros dealing RHP Octavio Dotel to Oakland and C-R John Buck to Kansas City in a three-team trade that brought Beltran to Houston. In exchange for Dotel, the A's forwarded 3B-L Mark Teahen and RHP Mike Wood to the Royals while Kansas City sent cash to Oakland to complete the swap.

Beltran will take over centerfield for the Astros, pushing OF-R Jason Lane back to the bench and OF-R Craig Biggio to left field. With the exception of Beltran's speed, Lane's skills may not be that different from Houston's new acquisition. However, while Lane deserves a chance to demonstrate his skills as a starter, Beltran seized his opportunity years ago and is known quantity. A strong grasp of the strike zone anchors Beltran's offensive prowess, which includes both power and speed. At 27, the outfielder is in his physical prime and has lowered his G-F ratio, which has led to a spike in his home run power. Meanwhile, his on-base skills and exceptional baserunning instincts increase the value of his speed. In addition to his skill at the plate, Beltran also possesses a reputation as a talented fielder.

At the moment, SS-R Adam Everett remains in the second slot in the Astros' lineup while Beltran is hitting third. Such an alignment will squander much of the run producing potential Houston gained by adding Beltran. I can accept Biggio as the team's leadoff hitter, because I want those players with better power hitting with someone on base. However, Beltran should be hitting second followed by OF-S Lance Berkman and 1B-R Jeff Bagwell. Putting Everett in the two hole breaks up the heart of the Astros' order and prevents their superior hitters from visiting the plate as often as possible. Furthermore, the Killer B's marketing campaign would be much more alluring if the order emphasized the alliteration.

Houston drafted John Buck out of high school with a seventh round pick in 1998. After moving steadily through the Astros' system, Buck arrived at AAA New Orleans in the Pacific Coast League to open the 2003 season. Regrettably, a mid-season accident in which he broke his hand limited his plate appearances, so he returned to AAA this season. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .300 with a .368 OBP and .507 SLG on 68 H, 11 2B, and 12 HR with a 21:39 BB:K and 0/1 SB% in 227 AB. The 23-year-old's already substantial power should continue to increase as he matures physically, and his plate discipline appears promising. Despite some difficulties discouraging stolen base attempts, Buck has a solid reputation behind the plate and certainly will receive additional pointers from his new manager, Tony Pena.

The Royals brought Buck directly to the majors, as Kelly Stinnett has now joined Benito Santiago on the disabled list. Buck will immediately assume the starting catching duties in the Kansas City with Alberto Castillo serving as his back-up. Although another couple of months at AAA may have allowed him to more thoroughly solidify his skills, Buck should be ready to handle his new responsibilities. I expect his production to suffer as he adjusts to the demands of the majors, but once he acclimates himself to his new surroundings, the skills he's demonstrated in the minors should emerge, providing the Royals with solid production at an offensively weak position.

Oakland drafted Teahen out of St. Mary's College with the 39th overall pick in the first round of the 2002 draft. He split the remainder of that season between the Short-Season Northwest League and A+ Modesto in the California League, and then returned to A+ Modesto for a full season in 2003. Teahen opened the 2004 season at AA Midland in the Texas League, where he hit .335 with a .419 OBP and .543 SLG on 66 H, 15 2B, 4 3B, and 6 HR with a 29:44 BB:K in 197 AB before the A's decided to promote him to AAA Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League. When Eric Chavez hit the disabled list, there was speculation that Oakland would call up Teahen to replace him in the majors. Although the A's exercised restraint and instead advanced Teahen from AA to AAA, the possibility remained that a strong showing at Sacramento might earn him a promotion before Chavez returned. On the other hand, with Kansas City specifying a third base prospect as a desired component of any package for Beltran and Chavez locked into a long term deal in Oakland, Teahen's name readily circulated in trade speculation.

At the time of the trade, Teahen was hitting .275 with a .383 OBP and .391 SLG on 19 H and 8 2B with an 11:22 BB:K and 0/1 SB% in 69 AB. The 22-year-old's contact rate could use improvement, but he's patient, and his power should improve as he matures physically. Teahen also possess a solid defensive reputation. I do not think the Royals should bring him to the majors before September, but Teahen should develop into a capable starting third baseman, giving Kansas City a youthful replacement for 3B-R Joe Randa.

The Athletics drafted Wood out of the University of North Florida with a 10th round pick in 2001. Wood moved quickly through Oakland's system, arrived at AAA Sacramento in 2003, and spent last September as a reliever in the majors, although he's worked as a starter for the majority of his minor league career. He returned to AAA this spring, and at the time of the trade, he had compiled a 66:24 K:BB with 83 H and 8 HR allowed in 90 IP for a 2.80 ERA over 15 starts. The 24-year-old is not a dominant starter, but his control skills should make him an effective middle of the rotation pitcher for the Royals. As with Buck, Kansas City's current needs caused the club to add Wood directly to their 25-man roster. He is scheduled to make his first start for the team on June 29th, replacing Chris George in the rotation.

In light of Beltran's plans to test the free agent market this winter regardless of where he finishes the season and the general decrease in the purchasing power of a pending free agent on the trade market, I am impressed that the Royals were able to present their demands and have them met. Buck and Teahen might not be the #1 prospects at their respective positions, but both appear likely to have productive major league careers, and Kansas City also picked up a starting pitching prospect, who appears ready to contribute immediately. GM Allard Baird should be commended for his efforts.

Tomorrow, I will look at the Athletics' acquisition of Dotel while also reviewing the benefits vs. the costs of the trade for Oakland and Houston.