The perception of executives inquiring is the Yankees, Red Sox and Astros are the most competitive teams for Carlos Beltran, with perhaps the Rangers lurking to try to retain him.

The executives say that beyond the obvious – Beltran, even with his 40th birthday approaching in April, remains a high-end switch-hitter – he is attractive because he has no draft pick compensation attached to him and probably could be had on a one-year deal that falls in the $15 million-to-$18 million range.

Of course, if the bidding is intense, perhaps a team will have to distinguish itself by adding an option or multiple years.

For the Yankees, Beltran would be the regular DH and provided some right field protection should Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks be unable to handle the responsibility.

For the Red Sox, Beltran would succeed David Ortiz as the DH. He also would be the DH for the Astros and join newcomers Brian McCann and Josh Reddick in giving Houston lefty diversification and a more veteran presence in the clubhouse.