Adrian Beltre is a great player.  He is possibly the most underrated Seattle Mariners player in recent years, with Mike Cameron being his only challenger in my mind.  You can make a strong argument that Beltre is the best defensive third baseman in all of baseball, he’s been referred to as Seattle’s unofficial team captain, he plays hurt, he hustles, and he asks for appeals on his own check swings.  He’s a very good hitter as well, and would have put up great numbers this past season were it not for some bad luck.

Beltre is my favorite Seattle Mariner right now, and I’d hate for him to leave this offseason.  That said, I understand that baseball is a business and that Beltre is extremely unlikely to sign a contract extension to keep him here beyond the 2009 season.

We don’t know what kind of team Seattle is going to be building for 2009.  The original consensus was that we were going to rebuild, but the latest murmurings hint at an extreme retooling in hopes of competing in a very weak AL West.

If that is the case, Beltre is someone that Seattle should hold onto.  Whatever GM Jack Zduriencik decides, there will be inquiries on the Gold Glover, and if the team receives an offer that clearly exceeds the two compensatory draft picks that they’ll likely receive when Beltre declines arbitration next offseason, then they’ll have to strongly consider it.

Here are some potential suitors for Adrian Beltre, loosely ordered based on likelihood:

Minnesota Twins – The Twinkies were interested in Beltre at the trading deadline but were unwilling to pay his salary and give Seattle top talent in the same deal.  Talks fell through, and the Twins were unable to upgrade at the position.

This offseason they will almost certainly inquire again, especially now that talks have fallen off with free agent Casey Blake.

Whether they’d be able to offer up enough is less of a certainty.  Because of how underrated as Beltre is, most people around baseball balked at the Mariners’ asking price last summer, as they were asking for one of Minnesota’s young starters.

Seattle doesn’t need to lose Beltre’s contract and the Twins won’t have very much leverage.  Look for Zduriencik to seek one of Denard Span, Carlos Gomez or possibly Delmon Young as a center piece, or any of their starting pitchers.  I’m currently unconvinced that the Twins would give up enough, but they could really use Beltre.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Beltre said towards the end of the season that he would be open to trade that would land him back with the Dodgers, a team that he has blocked with his limited trade clause during his Mariners tenure.  The Dodgers certainly have a need– on the field and in the lineup– and would welcome Beltre back.

The Dodgers have some interesting pieces, and Zduriencik could be asking about RHSP James McDonald, LHP Scott Elbert, SS Ivan DeJesus, 3B/2B Blake DeWitt, SS Chin-Lung Hu,  OF Delwyn Young or a few others, possibly even OF Andre Ethier.

The most intriguing part about a potential trade with the Dodgers is that the teams match up well if you wanna throw in other players as well.  Any deal with the Dodgers could become an absolute blockbuster.  Seattle could feasibly work any combination of Ichiro, Jose Lopez, Yuni Betancourt, Jarrod Washburn or Carlos Silva into a Beltre proposal, and the Dodgers have the pieces to make it a fair trade.

Cincinnati Reds – Edwin Encarnacion isn’t exactly working out at third base for the Reds.  He’s a decent hitter at times, but still only a bit above average, especially for a third baseman, and is absolutely horrible defensively; the exact opposite of Beltre.

Some reports indicate that the Reds are getting fed up with their former top prospect, and are getting ready to upgrade now that he is arbitration eligible.  John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirerer called EE the “most likely Red to be traded” this offseason.

Who would Seattle ask for in return?  They don’t have a lot of young talent that could help Seattle right away.  Jay Bruce isn’t going anywhere.  Joey Votto probably isn’t either, but he would obviously be worth inquiring on.

Beyond those two, the Reds don’t have a lot of young centerpieces that are ready for MLB duty.  RHSP Homer Bailty, OF Chris Dickerson, OF Drew Stubbs and MIF Chris Valaika are the only intriguing near-MLB ready names as far as I’m concerned, and I’m unconvinced that Bailey, Dickerson or Stubbs could anchor a deal.  The Reds’ have some young propsects in the lower levels are very intriguing, including top prospect 1B Yonder Alonso and INF Todd Frazier.  RHRP Josh Roenicke could be a nice add-on as a potential closer.

Money could be an issue here, and I dunno if Cinci could handle Beltre’s contract.  Seattle may need to chip in some money, but that could actually benefit them by requiring more talent in return.

Milwaukee Brewers – I’ve read some speculation that the Brew Crew could trade or bench 2B Rickie Weeks and move 3B/OF Bill Hall to 2B.  The Brewers are known for realigning their defense to get the most out of their players, like when they moved Ryan Braun from third to left field and Hall from center field to third.  If they were to move Hall to second they’d need a replacement at third, assuming that 3B Mat Gamel will start the season AAA and that he isn’t expected to stick at third base.

Seattle could consider both Gamel and Weeks as part of the return, as well OF Corey Hart, 1B Brad Nelson or OF Michael Brantley as add-ins.  Seattle could also add J.J. Putz, Washburn or others to the deal in pursuit of a bigger fish (J.J. Hardy).

San Francisco Giants – The Giants have a massive hole at third base.  They’ve been connected to the aforementioned Encarnacion, and could get involved with free agents Blake and Joe Crede.  Beltre has been connected to the Giants in the past, and it wouldn’t really be a surprise if they jumped back into the fray.

Possible trade targets for Seattle could include LHSP Jonathan Sanchez, 1B/OF John Bowker, OF Nate Schierholtz, OF Fred Lewis and 2B/SS Emmanuel Burriss.

Cleveland Indians – With 3B Andy Marte looking like a potential bust, the Indians will consider upgrading the position.  They’ve been connected to free agent Blake, and Beltre could make sense for them, especially if he is packaged with Putz, Erik Bedard or Lopez.

Cutting to the chase, Seattle could target Marte, RHP Adam Miller, 3B Wes Hodges, SS Josh Rodriguez.  Maybe they could even look to re-acquire OF Shin-Soo Choo.  However, the chances of Beltre being Cleveland bound is pretty slim, in my opinion.

Other remote possibilities: Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies.