I recently asked KOMO’s Shannon Drayer a few things about Adrian Beltre and she was very helpful, as always, and gave us some great stuff.  Besides her work on Mariner radio, she has a blog that is chalk full of tidbits not found on any of the other major Mariner blogs.  If you’re seeking a change of pace from the Geoff Baker’s of the world, check it out.

BBT: There have been many reports and rumors that have Adrian Beltre eager to return to a Southern California ballclub, but we have learned that the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are two of the eight teams on his no-trade list.  Can you offer any insight as to where these rumors are coming from, or where Beltre would like to play?  We have also heard that Beltre has no intentions of re-signing with Seattle.  Do you know if he is happy or unhappy with the organization?

Drayer: Good question and I am trying to get to the bottom of it but it is hard to get Adrian in a place where he can talk. If that rumor is true then I would imagine the Dodgers are on the list because he was unhappy with the way his situation was handled when he left. He wanted to stay but didn’t like their offer. That said, if I recall right, when the Mariners played the Dodgers in LA in interleague play a couple of years ago, it was a great big Beltre lovefest. There were rumors then that the Dodgers would try to get him back yet no mention then of a no trade clause then.

I think ideally, and this is just the impression I get, he would like to play for the Angels. Good team, very close to home, just makes sense. I know he loves being home in Southern California and gets back there whenever he can.

I don’t think he has any strong ties to the Mariners organization and I really don’t see him staying beyond his contract unless the market is weak for him.
 
Now if I were the Mariners I think I would try hard to keep him. He is having a bit of an off year both offensively and defensively that I think can be at least in part attributed to his hand injury. He should have surgery this winter and should be healed by spring training. The third base market will not be great and the M’s don’t have anyone ready quite yet. Adrian also brings leadership in that he plays all out, plays hurt when appropriate and has been a go to guy for the staff in their dealings with Betancourt. I have seen on more than one occaision the skipper pull him into the office to ask for help in dealing with a clubhouse issue. He is a very good teammate.
 
One of the players suggested to me that the Mariners sign him to an extension then slap a C on his jersey. There is a lot of debate on whether or not captaincy is significant in baseball which I tried to argue with this player. His response was that two of the teams who do it seem to find themselves in the playoffs every year.
 
I asked why Adrian would be the right guy and he answered with everything I said above plus the fact that Adrian does well in all groups, is very respected and is known as a guy you would never want to piss off. Him angry or fired up would be a scary sight. The player felt that if he were assigned the position he would step up. Some say that leaders rise to the top, you don’t assign them. The player disagreed saying that they need to be asked. Interesting. I can’t disagree with the choice if they were to decide to go in that direction. If Adrian would take that on, well, I don’t know but his teammate seemed to think he would.