Carlos Beltran wasn't always as popular in San Francisco as he is right now.
The outfielder, who the franchise dealt for at the July trade deadline, came at the cost of the Giants best pitching prospect, Zach Wheeler.
Beltran's performance immediately upon arriving caused some panic, and as soon as the outfielder started swinging the bat well, he went on the disabled list. But his performance in September -- he's batting .426/.478/.787 with four home runs and 12 RBI in just 15 games -- has drawn the praise of Giants fans.
The question then becomes whether or not Beltran would come back to the Giants as a free agent after his contract expires this season. His agent, Scott Boras, said he'd be open to just that.
"He came to the Giants for a reason," Boras said from the Moneyball premiere. "Obviously, he has played very well here. He has gotten a chance to get to know the city and the organization."
So that's exciting -- as it appears that the Giants actually can court decent-hitting outfielders on the free agent market. Or can at least try.
There are two things to remember here, though.
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One, Beltran's pretty old. 34, in fact, which means that he'll likely be looking for a deal that takes him close to the age of 40. Right now, Giants fans love him. They might feel differently in five years when he's limping through the latter part of a monster free-agent contract.
Two, this is Boras saying this -- his agent. Of course his agent says he's happy playing in a spot where they have money and he's hitting the ball well and have a need for offense. That's Boras' job.
That's not to say that Beltran's not happy in San Francisco, but expecting some sort of discount just because he's feeling cozy by the Bay is silly.
And besides, the Giants have bigger things to worry about right now. Like chasing down the Diamondbacks.
