Kansas City, Mo. ? Every time the Royals lose, Carlos Beltran becomes a tiny bit more available to people who covet Kansas City’s stylish five-tool outfielder.

And that’s a lot of people.

In Southern California, they think he’d be awesome as an Angel.

The Red Sox dream of Beltran in Beantown, and they say in New York that he’d be resplendent in pinstripes.

No one doubts this will be Beltran’s last year with the Royals, who’ve spent about $20 million scouting him, developing him and bringing him along to a point in his career when they can no longer afford him.

The only question is which big-spending team is going to wind up with the best center fielder Kansas City’s ever had.

Kansas City general manager Allard Baird, on the heels of a doubleheader loss to Montreal, said Friday that he is ready to begin dismantling his team and build for 2005.

“This is a change,” Baird said.

Specifically, this means he is ready to take offers for Beltran, his switch-hitting center fielder who is one of just six players with at least three seasons of 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.

Two weeks ago, Baird told clubs he would not consider dealing any of his players without giving the Royals a chance to get back in the AL Central race. They responded by winning six of 10. But the doubleheader loss to Montreal made them to a league-worst 21-36.

“I will listen at this point,” he said.

Just 26 and coming into his prime, Beltran will be eligible for free agency after this season. The budget-conscious Royals have made it clear they do not care to pay the $14 million to $17 million per year it’s going to take to sign him.

A contract in the order of the five-year, $70 million deal the Angels gave Vladimir Guerrero this year would not seem out of order.

But the Royals, who are paying Beltran $9 million this season, have no intention of getting nothing for him.

“I don’t think they are going to make any offer,” said the modest, unassuming and deeply religious Beltran. “So I’m just having fun with this organization. I’m going to try to help this ballclub win as much as we can. I want to help them offensively and defensively. There’s not much else I can do. It will probably be a surprise to me where I finally go.”

Never one to draw attention to himself, Beltran has been happy to stay under the national radar during his five-plus years with the Royals. His own traditionally slow starts and the poor visibility Kansas City provides all its players have denied him All-Star recognition.

So the average fan may not know he is one of just six men in baseball history with at least three seasons of 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Or that last year he became the 11th man and the first switch hitter to bat over .300 while clubbing more than 25 home runs and stealing more than 40 bases.

But he’s no secret to baseball people.

“You’re looking at the center fielder next year for the Yankees,” Rangers manager Buck Showalter said.

One spectacular outfield play made Detroit manager Alan Trammell a Beltran fan.

“As soon as he saw it, man, he was like — I don’t know what animal — a gazelle or whatever,” Trammell said. “He is really fun to watch.”

A month ago, Beltran figured to be on the verge of shipping out, with the Royals on the verge of self-destructing. Favorites in the AL Central, they got off to a horrible start and had the worst record in the American League.

Baird told the club they had 10 days to start playing better or he would begin to dismantle the team. In those 10 games, the Royals went 6-4.

The Beltran watch was put on hold — temporarily.

A doubleheader sweep at the hands of the lowly Montreal Expos on Thursday did nothing to encourage the Royals, who entered the weekend 11 games back.

Beltran won’t be in last place much longer.

“You marvel at what an athlete he is,” said Trammell.

Beltran started the season in the most dramatic of fashions, hitting a two-run homer run to cap a six-run ninth-inning rally in an opening day victory over the Chicago White Sox. He went on to hit .316 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs and was named the AL player of the month for April.

An 0-for-16 skid last month dropped his average. But he went into the Royals’ three-game weekend set with the Mets hitting .270, with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs.

His close friendship with Baird is helping him ignore speculation about what his immediate future might hold.

“Allard and I sort of came up together. When I was in rookie ball, he was a scout for the Royals,” Beltran said. “I really believe in his word. He knows I am an honest guy, and he is honest, too. That’s why I don’t worry about rumors and stuff like that.”