One of the few bright spots of the Red Sox’ 2010 season was Adrian Beltre’s triumphant return to stardom.
In 154 games with Boston, Beltre hit .321 with 28 homers, 102 RBI and a .919 OPS. He combined his newly rediscovered offensive prowess with his Gold Glove defense for a whopping 7.1 Wins Above Replacement. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Red Sox might have finished below .500 without him.
Now a free agent, Beltre will leave a huge hole in the Red Sox’ depth chart if he doesn’t re-sign with Boston. If he doesn’t return to Fenway in 2011, word on the street is that the Red Sox will try to pry first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres.
With Victor Martinez heading to Detroit, it’s especially important for the Red Sox to upgrade their lineup. The question is: Which Adrian should they pursue?
The answer is pretty clear: Beltre. In this slideshow are 10 reasons why Boston should try to re-sign him instead of trading for A-Gone.