For nearly eight years, Adrian Beltre has done so much for the Rangers.

He's been a Gold Glover and an MVP-caliber player, a leader on a World Series team, a model of loyalty, professionalism and enthusiasm for the game, a spokesman and a walking GIF. He's re-arranged his contract to allow the team more financial flexibility when the window of opportunity necessitated it and he offered to defer money to try and extend it further.

And now Beltre performs one final favor for the organization: He is retiring.

FILE - Adrian Beltre (29) smiles after talking with home plate umpire Joe West during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 30, 2018. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News) (Louis DeLuca / Staff Photographer)

A little less than two months after being replaced by Jurickson Profar at third base to a standing ovation in Seattle in what seemed like his final game, Beltre made the decision official. After 21 seasons in the majors, he is moving on to devoting his full-time attention to his family.

It's probably unfair -- maybe even harsh -- to call this a "favor" to the Rangers, because as a man in the organization, he is still valued. Nobody around the organization takes any glee in his decision.

When it comes to the cold, hard truth about where the Rangers' roster is and where Beltre, the player, is, it's simply not a very good fit. Oh, his agent, Scott Boras, said 10 days ago Beltre could still perform at an above-average level and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels doesn't disagree.

It's not about that, though.

As has been made clear and will become painfully evident to even those living in denial, it's not about a player who can help the team in 2019. It's about 2020 or beyond.

In 2019, Beltre would be a 40-year-old on a team skewing younger. He'd be a third baseman or DH on a team with a young third baseman and immovable DH. He'd cost upwards of $10 million for a team that has no need to spend significant dollars on free agency because it isn't going to make a difference in 2019 anyway. And there must be concerns about his durability after four muscle strains in the last two seasons limited him to 134 games in the field.

How do you reconcile those two distinctly different circumstances?

You don't.

Profar needs to play every day, probably at one position, to potentially raise his trade value ahead of the July 31 deadline. Barring a trade of Rougned Odor, third base is the only logical position.

Shin-Shoo Choo is still due $42 million over the next two seasons. Even after an All-Star-caliber first half, there were no real inquiries about him at the trade deadline last season. He had a poor second half and is going to be 37 next May. Who is going to take on any of that contract, even in a straight salary dump? Barring a catastrophic injury to a DH, nobody.

The Rangers dropped payroll from $166 million to $133 million from 2017 to 2018 and it is likely to drop again in 2019. There is only $95 million committed and the Rangers have already indicated they aren't likely to go in on big free agents. It simply does not make sense for them to add any significant salaried players. Even if Beltre's presence helped spike attendance by an extra 1,000 fans a game (and that's a pretty generous assumption), it would only be worth about $5 million to Rangers. It's more financially prudent, then, to pay zero dollars and see a $5 million windfall.

Whether Beltre returns or not, the Rangers' window is closed for the time being. The attraction would be as a sideshow or gimmick. Beltre is neither.

He is doing what is best for him. And the team.

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