Here is the latest on the Carlos Beltran trade front.

Updated 7/24 8:00 PM

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, Carlos Beltran has told the Mets he only wants to be traded to one of seven National League contenders.

Carlos Beltran told a friend this weekend that despite his public statements that he would approve a trade to Texas or Boston, he has told the Mets he only wants to be traded to one of seven National League contenders, according to a source familiar with that conversation.

Stark says Beltran doesn’t want to approve a deal to Texas because the Rangers would want him to play center field and because he’s not familiar with the AL West. Texas has been described by multiple sources to have ramped up its pursuit of Beltran over the weekend.

Updated 7/24 1:00 AM

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Updated 7/23 1:00 PM

The Mets and Rangers have ramped up scouting each other according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

The Rangers have zeroed in on Carlos Beltran…in advance of the July 31 trade deadline. Rangers have a scout watching Beltran in Miami, expected to continue watching during the next stop in Cincinnati. 

Meanwhile, a source indicated the Mets have ramped up watching Rangers minor leaguers. Mets scout Bryan Lambe is watching Texas low-Class A players at Hickory after being redirected, Rubin reports.

Beltran is on record as saying he prefers to remain in the National League.

Buster Olney of ESPN, indicates that in addition to the Rangers, the Red Sox, Giants, Phillies and Braves are all actively in hot pursuit as well.

As for what the Mets may get in return, speculation is running rampant, but the Giants and Phillies have both indicated  that they will not give up any top prospects in a Beltran deal.

Top baseball prospects such as outfielders Domonic Brown and Gary Brown, as well as pitchers Mike Minor and Zach Wheeler have all been mentioned in various rumors by the usual suspects.

But the reality is that while they make for great headlines and water cooler conversation, it’s unlikely either will be traded for Carlos Beltran who is a two month rental that will NOT net a team any draft picks once he’s gone.

I do expect one of those players will be traded, but probably for a player like Hunter Pence who is a young rising star, very productive, and will still be under team control for two more years.

The Mets will get a prospect or maybe two for Carlos Beltran, but more in line with players like Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Lucas Duda or Mark Cohoon, which of course is still better than nothing, but nowhere close to the caliber of talent being bandied about by the Jon Heymans of the world.