ARLINGTON -- Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre will not be attending the team's Dr Pepper Awards Dinner on Friday night in Dallas or Fan Fest on Saturday at Globe Life Park.
According to the Rangers, Beltre was given permission to miss both events.
Beltre attended last year's Awards Dinner and Fan Fest to receive the Rangers Player of the Year Award and his Gold Glove Award, but doing so disrupted a planned family vacation. So Texas agreed that Beltre would not have to attend the event this year, allowing him to make other family plans. Beltre is the 2017 winner of the Harold McKinney Good Guy Award, but the Rangers have known for almost a year that he would not attend the dinner.
Beltre will be with the Rangers in Spring Training, club officials said.
General manager Jon Daniels said the Rangers' relationship with Beltre has not changed. Beltre, 38, has made it clear that his desire is to play for a contending team and win a World Series before he retires.
The Rangers have made it clear they expect to have a contending team in 2018. But they also admit they are not going "all-in" with their offseason moves, preferring to conserve their financial resources, not trade their top prospects for immediate help and give young players an opportunity.
Daniels has discussed the situation with Beltre.
"I spoke to Adrian a week or two ago," Daniels said. "He is a competitor. Whether he was 25 years old or 45 years old, he cares about this year, this club. That's what you want, that mindset. I think that helps focus and drive the rest of the guys in the clubhouse.
"Adrian and I had a candid conversation at the end of last year, and he understood: we're not going to be at the top of the free-agent market. What he said was, 'Hey, I want to know we've got a chance going into Spring Training.'"
The Rangers appear to be done making major moves for the offseason, even though pitcher Yu Darvish remains a free agent. There is a possibility Darvish may not sign anytime soon, but he is unlikely to return to Texas unless there is a drastic change in circumstances.
"I think if [Beltre] was GM, he probably would have made some different moves this offseason," Daniels said. "He probably would have addressed some different things on the club. I respect that, but I don't feel any different than I did at the end of the year: we're going to go into Spring Training with a chance."
Beltre is entering his 21st season in the Major Leagues and is unsigned beyond 2018. His Hall of Fame resume includes 3,048 hits, which ranks 26th all time. He is 35th all time with 462 home runs and 31st with 1,642 RBIs.