CHICAGO -- The guessing has begun when it comes to Adrian Beltre.

Gone are the days of wondering if the third baseman will continue his game-after-game excellence. That reality was once again put on display Monday night when, for the third time this season, he came away with four hits in a single game, this time doing it in the Red Sox' 6-1 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. (Recap.)

No, the mystery when it comes to Beltre nowadays centers around what his mindset will be once the offseason offers start rolling in.

"It's wide open," he said just before leaving the visitors clubhouse Monday night. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet."

Has the 31-year-old been talking to his agent, Scott Boras, about such things?

"We talk," he said, "but we don't talk about what's going to happen."

Yet, Beltre does admit that he has at least a foundation of a plan. 

Asked what the priority will be when looking for the team he will play for the next three, four or five seasons, he is quick with the response.

"It's winning," is the answer.

But in the next breath, Beltre suggests there might be something even more powerful in play than simply finding a contender. The first hint of that motivation could be found in the image of the third baseman getting ready to check in on his pregnant wife, Sandra, whose due date is early October.

Sandra has spent most of the season with the couple's children at the family's Los Angeles-area home. And that is why, when it comes to the next contract, the chance to win is nice, but family matters might actually take priority.

"I'll see what's best for me and my family," Beltre explained. "This year I was selfish enough, coming to the East Coast, knowing my wife was pregnant and she would be away from me basically for the whole year. This year is going to be more a family thing. It's been tough. I haven't seen family like l wanted to. We're going to settle down, discuss it, and see what's best for us."

He has been through the free-agent process before. At the tender age of 25, he scored a four-year deal with Seattle following the '04 season. And then there was last year, although that foray into the open market didn't offer the best guide when attempting to decipher Beltre's approach. He was coming off a down season, filled with injuries, and had to prioritize showing the world of baseball that he still could produce over a 162-game season.

Following the '09 campaign, Beltre turned down a three-year deal from Oakland, instead choosing to take his chances at putting up numbers for a single season in a hitter-friendly park (Fenway Park), for a perceived contender (the Red Sox). And while there has been sacrifices -- starting with the time away from his family -- the plan, obviously, has worked out.

"Last year was a little weird because I played most of the season hurt. I knew Seattle would probably want to keep me, but I new I could settle for one year with a chance to win," Beltre explained. "It's been different, but it's been positive.

"I haven't really thought about (free agency). We're still playing baseball. We still are a long-shot, but we still have a shot (having to win all of their six remaining games, with the Yankees needing to lose all five of theirs). I haven't really sat and thought about it, but I will when I go home."

Before any conclusions are jumped to regarding Beltre's next team, surmising that he must prefer the West Coast considering that's where his family is stationed, he wants to point out that things can change. The third baseman understands that, thanks to his 2010 production, he will now be dealing with the kind of multi-year contract that allows for his wife and kids to put up roots in a new community without feeling unsettled.

The right to settle down has been hard-earned for Beltre. He is fifth in the American League in OPS (.926), fourth in batting average (.323), has 28 home runs and on Monday reached the 100-RBI milestone for just the second time in his career.

Beltre has played in all but five of the Red Sox' 156 games, been consistent against both left-handers (.337) and righties (.317), while never having a month in which he hit lower than .277 (managing a .300-or-better batting average in four of the season's six months).

"I don't look at numbers. If I tell you yes or no I would be lying," said Beltre, when asked if he thought this was his most consistent season. "I think besides the last eight games, when I was in a little slump, besides that the whole year I've been feeling good."

And now, the payoff appears to be drawing near.