Here’s the press release from the Boston Red Sox concerning the signing of free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.
The Boston Red Sox today signed third baseman Adrian Beltre to a one-year contract through the 2010 season with a player option for 2011. No further terms were disclosed.
The Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 40.
The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.
Beltre, 30, hit .265 (119-for-449) with 27 doubles, eight home runs, 44 RBI and 54 runs in 111 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2009. He appeared at third base in all 111 contests, making 110 starts at the position. Beltre finished sixth among American League third basemen with a .959 fielding percentage, committing 14 errors in 341 total chances. He missed time during the 2009 campaign due to a pair of trips to the disabled list, including surgery on his left shoulder to remove bone spurs on June 30.
Originally signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent on July 7, 1994, Beltre made his Major League debut in 1998 at the age of 19. He has hit .270 (1,700-for-6,285) with 348 doubles, 26 triples, 250 home runs, 906 RBI, 828 runs, 478 walks and 111 stolen bases in 1,681 Major League games over parts of 12 seasons with the Dodgers (1998-2004) and Mariners (2005-09).
A right-handed batter, he has hit 25 or more home runs in a season four times, including three straight years from 2006-08. Beltre hit for the cycle with the Mariners on September 1, 2008 in Texas and earned a 2004 Silver Slugger Award when he led the Majors with a career-high 48 home runs. That year, he also became just the 11th player in Major League history with at least 45 home runs and 200 hits in a single season.
The 2007 and 2008 American League Gold Glove Award winner at third base, Beltre has posted a .957 fielding percentage (205 errors/4,718 total chances) in 1,664 games (1,621 starts) at the position. He leads all active third basemen with 1,319 putouts, is second with 3,194 assists and third with 297 double plays.
A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Beltre played in four Division Series games with the Dodgers in 2004. He hit safely in three of the four contests, going 4-for-15 with an RBI and run scored.
Note: Beltre will be introduced to the Boston media on Friday morning at 10 a.m. at press conference at Fenway Park.
