Honestly, I'm kinda warming to the idea. I certainly recognize the value of good defense, and Beltre will at least be a good defender. if he regains his power he can probably contribute at the bottom of the order. With Drew, Youkilis, Martinez, Ortiz, and Hermida/Cameron all viable to hit ahead of him you can crowd him down to the 7 or 8 hole unless it's obvious he deserves to hit higher so it's not like we're penciling him in for the 4 hole.
And it has the virtue of being pretty much a 1 year deal anyway, so that's a plus.