Mariners second baseman Nick Franklin is “a top target” of the Athletics as they explore upgrades at the keystone, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Franklin’s name has been a fixture in trade rumors ever since the M’s signed Robinson Cano, with the Royals and Rays among the clubs most recently connected to the 23-year-old infielder.
As Slusser notes, there are some obstacles in the way of an Oakland/Seattle trade match on Franklin, mainly that the Mariners may not be interested in helping a division rival. The Mariners are also known to be asking for a high price for Franklin, and the A’s may not have enough young talent left in the system following their recent major trade with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.
Franklin played 104 games for Seattle in 2013 and was seemingly being groomed as the Mariners’ second baseman of the future before Cano signed. Franklin has appeared in only 17 games with the M’s this season and has spent most of the year dominating minor league pitching — he owns a .300/.394/.481 slash line in 283 PA at Triple-A Tacoma. With experience at both second and shortstop, Franklin could be a fit for the A’s at either position; Oakland’s long-term shortstop plans are somewhat in flux with Addison Russell traded and Jed Lowrie set for free agency this winter, though 2012 first-rounder Daniel Robertson is enjoying a big year at high-A ball.
Among more experienced second base targets, Ben Zobrist may not be a fit for the Athletics since the Rays want a big return for the utilityman, and he may not be available anyway since Tampa remains on the fringes of the AL East race. The Phillies had one of their top scouts at Sunday’s A’s/Orioles game, which could hint at a connection with Chase Utley, though Slusser notes that Baltimore could be looking for second base help as well.
lol this won’t happen unless the A’s overpay
Or if the M’s give up on trying to pry Price/Zobrist away from Tampa. It would be a throw-on-the-towel move to help Oakland.
Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. Throw in the towel on this season and how many others by handing them Franklin? Not going to happen unless the A’s want to give up Brandon Moss or someone else on their Major League team.
Right – besides: if/when they want to deal Franklin, there would be other teams lined up to make offers… Oakland would be pushed to the end of that line. This is more than a bit silly.
Moss for Franklin? hahahahahah
Even if the M’s were throwing in the towel on this season, something they have no logical reason to do, it make no sense to hand the A’s Franklin who is under team control until 2020.
If the Mariners are expecting to compete in the AL West, they probably don’t want to be trading with their rivals…
Unless it’s a win/win. Jack has dealt with the Angles Morales/Vargas, the Rangers Lee/Smoak et al and the A’s Jaso/um… what did we get back?
Those deals usually only work in-division when one team wants to be immediately competitive and the other is rebuilding. The A’s are certainly looking to win in the short-term, and I feel like the M’s also believe they can, so it would be a pretty unusual trade situation.
I just don’t think Beane or Zduriencik care about that. They both just want to improve their ball club. I could see a Franklin for Kyle Blanks type of deal.
If the M’s wanted a disappointment like Kyle Blanks they could have gotten him from the Padres for peanuts, like the A’s did. They’re not giving up one of the best prospects for Blanks. Stop dreaming!
Just trying to find a reason for this rumor. I don’t see anything really that would benefit the M’s. Perhaps it’s multiple players. That’s all. If Blanks is a better option in LF and is a decent RHd bat, the M’s could use that.
Maybe its the Beane Jedi mind games he is playing with the M’s? If the M’s knows that Beane wants Franklin than he is less likely to be traded to another team that would flip him to the A’s. Rarely you see Beane play his hand before a trade so by saying he wants Franklin could be he wants the M’s to worry about flipping Franklin in a trade.
the flaw in your theory is that Beane never announced that he wanted Franklin. It was a report by a beat writer. And no, if the M’s get value for Franklin in player(s) they really want, they’ll make the deal and won’t worry about whether that team is going to flip him to the A’s. Doesn’t work that way.
trying to find a reason for the rumor? because someone in the OAK org told a writer that the team would like to get Franklin. That doesn’t mean that it will happen. It takes two to tango. Kyle Blanks would not be enough of an upgrade, A’s would need to overpay.
Slusser replied to my tweet and said Blanks is on DL and nowhere close to playing… so.
Jack may have learned his lesson from those trades. Morales/Vargas turned out ok for the M’s but Lee/Smoak and Jaso/Morse didnt work out well for Seattle.
Morse got hurt. If he produced for the M’s like he is for the Giants this year, it’s all good. The M’s medical staff blew that one.
Smoak was highly touted. You don’t always hit homers. If Smoak became the 30 homer bat everyone thought he should be then that’s a good deal, too. The M’s got Lueke from the Lee deal and that got them Jaso that they used for Morse. So that’s all still part of the Lee deal.
Mike Morse.
The A’s are in win now mode, why would they get a Franklin, he’s not even in the big leagues and he’s not killing triple A ball neither
very close to. .300/.400/.500 line at Triple-A. Pretty damn good and he would be a huge upgrade over Sogard, but the A’s aren’t getting him.
Eric Sogard was .331/.417/.484 with .989 fielding @ AAA this season.
It was 2012, but yea he killed over there and can barely get it out of the infield in the majors
It’s the PCL, Andy Parrino has similar stats
that’s irrelevant. Parrino is 28 and in his fourth season at Triple-A. He’ll never be more than a scrub in the Majors. Franklin will be starting at 2B or SS for somebody for many years.
The thing is he’s not proven yet, and the A’s need someone to help right now. Not sure if Franklin will be an immediate upgrade over Callaspo. That’s the whole point, so I don’t think it will happen.
The real “thing” here though (since you seem to only be focusing on the A’s point of view) is that for the Mariners to trade a guy who was a first round pick and hit at every level in the minors and plays middle infield, the A’s are going to have to overpay — and overpay in MLB-ready players (which the A’s may not have enough of a surplus of to deal). Seattle is contending — they’re not taking prospects for Nick Franklin.
The biggest reason why the A’s would have to overpay is that if Seattle is going to take the risk of Nick Franklin sticking it up their backsides 19 times a year for the next 6 or more seasons, they’re going to have to be blown away. Go ahead and blow Jack Zduriencik away, Billy!
Yea, I’m focusing on the A’s point of view and it doesn’t make sense to give up too much for an unproven guy.
Go tell that to Billy. If the A’s like him that much, they’ve followed him closely during his minor league (and brief) Major League career and have projected what he will be in the future and whether he can help them the rest of 2014.
Only way I see Franklin landing Oakland is if he is traded twice. No way the Mariners agree to send Franklin to Oakland.
It’s unlikely, but if the A’s feel they have enough SP depth for the rest of the season with Samardzija and Hammel, they could work out a deal around Milone or Pomeranz. Both of those guys are better than 3/5 of the M’s rotation and they’re major league ready.
I’m not sure why the A’s would consider this since Parker and Griffin don’t really stand a shot of coming back until the 2015 ASB, but who knows. Milone is really just the only guy I see valuable enough to deal for Franklin.
Well right now they are but they may not be better than Paxton and Walker who both should be up if bit traded.
Yeah, that’s another reason I don’t see this happening. You can never have too much SP, but that’s exactly why I don’t see the A’s trading Milone right now.
You can’t help someone in your own division.If the Mariners do this deal than they deserve to lose.They have enough pitching and should give up one of there prospects for a bat.
The A’S and Angels in your division gave up some big talent to make a push…now it’s your move.
There’s a natural trade sitting there: Nick Franklin to the A’s for Tommy Milone. Both are currently at AAA for the same reason–they’re blocked by better players at their positions. Both have been successful at the major league level. Franklin showed power, and he’s an upgrade at 2B. The M’s need starting pitching, especially until Walker and Paxton get healthy.
Milone is a 27 year old who’s performed adequately in the majors and is nearing arbitration. He’s nothing more than a 4th or 5th starter. Franklin is a 23 year old with 6 years of team control left and a good chance at being a solid everyday regular at 2B. Don’t really see that as an even trade.
Besides, Walker is healthy now and Paxton is 2 or 3 rehab starts from being back. I don’t think depth in the rotation is going to be a big concern going forward.
Also, while depth in the rotation might play a small part in a team getting to the playoffs, it won’t really help once you’re in the playoffs. Those guys are gonna get turned into long relievers or dropped completely off the roster in the playoffs. The Mariners need to target hitters who will upgrade the massive holes in their starting lineup or else a guy like Price (although he’s too expensive in my opinion).
I think Franklin has way more value than Millone, but thats just me
I don’t see this happening UNLESS its a 3 team trade. Or if BB talks with Tampa and they agree to ask for Franklin in a Zobrist/Price trade and then agree to flip him to Oakland.
The A’s don’t have the talent to pry Franklin away from an AL West competitor.
Oscar Taveras (STL) is unproven too, but if someone was going to try to get him from the Cardinals, they’d have to massively overpay. Unproven or not, teams value their top prospects, at least until they flame out.
Franklin is a AAAA player right now. 2 1/2 years in AAA where he has hit well but nothing with the big club. If the M’s are to trade him right now is the time because he will be labeled as a AAAA player next year. That being said the A’s will not over pay for him and he will be a throw in on any big trade the M’s make because its their pitching prospects that will bring them good quality players. This is a smoke screen since the Phillies are scouting A’s players in a trade for Utley. If Beane makes a trade for 2b its Utley he will pursue not Franklin.
Franklin to Oakland… For Billy Beane. 🙂
I’d do that; I doubt Jack would.
I remember a couple of years back when the Mariners were trying to trade Chone Figgins we read headlines of “Billy Beane interested in Figgins”. Figgins perceived value went up, and the M’s got nothing. The game within the game folks.
For all we know Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik floated this rumor to up the perceived ante for other Nick Franklin suitors.
I doubt Billy Beane has a monopoly on gamesmanship.
I don’t recall a headline of “Billy Beane interested in Figgins,” only obscure references.
mlbtraderumors.com/2011/01/as-pursuing-chone-figgi…
Absolutely. I don’t know if you have had the change to read the excellent Shipwrecked, but Jack Z is pretty skilled at internal org gamesmanship as well.
How about Nick Franklin for IF Chase D’Arnaud and Game of Thrones star Lena Headey? Oh and 4 tickets to San Diego Comic Con.
Josh Reddick? He’s been struggling and battling injuries lately but maybe a change of scenery help him. Making $2.7 million this year after avoiding arbitration.
You have to add a lot more but that would be a start.
Can’t see Utley agreeing to go to Baltimore