The Orioles have made a late addition to their infield via free agency, signing former Phillies and Royals third baseman Maikel Franco to a one-year, Major League contract. The O’s announced the move at the top of the hour, placing right-hander Hunter Harvey on the 60-day injured list with an oblique strain in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Franco, a client of Mato Sports Management, will reportedly earn $800K in guaranteed money with another $200K available via incentives and a trade assignment bonus being factored into the deal as well.
Franco makes a logical roster fit for the O’s, who had been otherwise slated to turn to Rio Ruiz at the hot corner. The 27-year-old Ruiz has just a .229/.299/.393 line across 617 plate appearances (84 wRC+) over the past two seasons. He has shown roughly league-average power (21 home runs, .164 ISO), but his on-base deficiencies and slightly below-average defensive ratings at third have left him hovering just above replacement level overall.
It’s reasonable to expect Franco to offer an upgrade on that production. The former Phillies top prospect showed flashes of promise in Philadelphia but never amounted to expectations. After being cut loose by the Phils, though, Franco posted a decent season with the Royals in 2020. He played in all sixty of Kansas City’s games (starting 51) and hit .278/.321/.457. As with Ruiz, low walk rates and batting averages on balls in play have led to on-base deficiencies. Franco, though, strikes out less often and has hit for more power than Ruiz.
Franco will be rather behind schedule at this point, so he may not be ready to step into the lineup on Opening Day. The two sides seemingly prepared for that reality, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman indicated at the time of the agreement that Franco consented to being optioned to the Orioles’ alternate site early in the season, if need be, in order to continue ramping up. As a player with five-plus years of MLB service time, Franco can only be optioned to the minors with his approval.
Even amidst a full rebuild, there’s value for the Orioles in making improvements at the margins of the roster. Barring an unexpected breakout in 2021, it’d be hard to imagine Franco commanding a huge trade return. Still, should he sign, Franco would be a viable candidate to be flipped for something of future value at the deadline. Non-tendered by the Royals last fall, he’d surely come at a low cost.
Franco’s modest guarantee will have minimal impact on an already minuscule Orioles payroll. He’s promised a bit less than $300K more than the league minimum, pushing Baltimore’s payroll just beyond the $60MM mark, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez. Franco joins shortstop Freddy Galvis (one year, $1.5MM) as Baltimore’s only major league free agent signees of the winter. It’s always possible the O’s could make another addition or two, particularly as veterans continue to opt out of minor league deals elsewhere around the league, but there’s no indication at this time that anything further is in the works.
As for Harvey, today’s IL placement is the latest setback for the now-26-year-old former top prospect. Baltimore tabbed Harvey with the No. 22 overall pick back in 2013, and he was at one point widely regarded as one of the game’s premier pitching prospects. Injuries have decimated his career to this point, and the O’s moved him to the bullpen in 2019, hoping the reduced innings total would help to keep him healthier. He’s pitched 15 innings out of the ’pen over the past two seasons, working to a 3.00 ERA with 17 strikeouts against six walks.
Harvey had been expected to be in the ninth-inning mix for the O’s in 2021, but that won’t be the case — at least not early in the year. The 60-day IL placement can only be backdated to three days prior to Opening Day, meaning he’ll miss at least the first 57 days of the upcoming season. Harvey could technically return by late May, then, but there’s no timetable for his return at the moment.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first reported that the two sides were in talks. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko added that the Orioles had put a formal offer on the table. Heyman then reported the agreement and the terms.
God spot for him to showcase.
The Orioles are a better choice for Franco than the Mets because he could have more playing with the Orioles.
Yes I agree with you.
Right, I bet he cares about his personal value because if he is good he can hop back on the market and get a higher AAV.
If he plays his cards right 80 games at Oriole Park should boost his power numbers and make him look stronger than he really is.
Well, don’t forget about the other games at Yankee stadium too. That’ll help him in addition if he can rotate on heavy pull. Obviously the gap is slated for true power though.
other than tb all the other parks are hitters parks, if i was franco i would sign with the o’s even if there really bad if i can get everyday at bats in a hitter friendly division.
1 million with incentives total. Seems like a nice deal for the Orioles. If he does anything decent he’ll probably be flipped to a contender at the deadline for a prospect.
Yessir, they actually think that the pitchers they signed are gonna do something lol.
does this mean the Orioles drop Ruiz? or would someone else be better to lose
i mean they are rebuliding. chances are there is someone they can drop without it being an issue.
Last place I thought he end up playing
No kidding…with all the teams that have been reportedly interested in him, why in the world would he choose to sign with the Orioles??? Not only will he be playing for arguably with the absolute worst team in the league, he would most likely be traded to another team (a destination he would have no control over) during the season if he has any kind of success. Also, knowing the Orioles, it’s highly unlikely that they’ve blown everyone else out of the water with their $$ offer. Very, very odd decision by Franco.
More playing time and a great ballpark to hit in. How is this an odd decision????
Maybe he wants to play every day to build up his value
This signing is a win-win for the Orioles, also if Franco has a good first half of the season, he will likely be traded to a playoff contender. Why would any player be opposed to that?!
@kcj
He can’t sign with a team that doesn’t make an offer. I am doubting the multitude of offers you believe he is choosing among. Look
It’s probably a combination of a number of things. 1) Franco wants to start and nobody would be blocking him in Baltimore. 2) Franco wants a chance to boost his hitting numbers and regular visits to Yankee Stadium & Fenway Park along with 80 games in Oriole Park should help him post better offensive numbers. 3) Franco assumes if he plays well enough the O’s flip him to a contender around the all-star break and he gets a shot to play for a winning team. Finally, 4) nobody else was willing to make him an offer under the playing terms he’s interested in.
Absolutely horrible take. Why would he go there? Because of an opportunity for the most playing time in a way to build up his value to hopefully get a guaranteed contract for more money next year. Your plan would be to try to hook on as a bench player to make 100% sure he doesn’t get anything but a minor league deal again next year? That sounds like a logical idea haha
Those teams were “reportedly” interested. Probably the Orioles were the only ones really interested.
Wants to be a MLB 3B, accruing service time, getting a real check versus minor league gig. Very likely traded in future to a contender that has injury issues. Put up good numbers, get traded, stay in MLB.
Not odd at all.. like you wrote, he gets to play on a team with low expectations..if he plays well, he gets flipped to a contending club..win win….
I predicted MIL. This is the first year I didn’t get a single prediction correct.
Pretty bad considering Miley signed before the contest opened.
Because the Orioles flat out suck and there are other teams in the league that have 3B needs and a good park to hit in. Milwaukee for example. Most players like to play on a team with a chance to win something and not have their heads beaten in night after night.
DadsinDaniabeach –
He would have no control if he was traded. He’d probably be sent to a contending team (like you said) somewhere to be a bench bat, therefore negating his “playing time” incentive and a chance to put up decent numbers for next year’s FA
I don’t know if that is true..while I’ve seen him play some 1st base, he first and foremost a 3rd baseman..if a team is just looking for a bench bat, I just do not think they would take a position player..they might go for a player used to coming off the bench..Maikel. Franco isn’t just a replacement values player..In my opinion, I think he’s more than that..time will tell..no matter, I wish him well..he’s a good guy..
Exactly
If it’s “highly unlikely” the O’s blew everyone else out of the water (and we now know they probably did not) what does that tell you about the number of options Franco had available to him?
Good question. I don’t think they would drop Ruiz, especially this late in camp with no proven everyday 3B behind him and Franco. I think one of the rule 5 picks Sceroler will be offered back to make room.
I would think a franco/ Ruiz platoon would be the answer here with maybe franco seeing time at first too. Baltimore is rebuilding so if Franco doesn’t work out then no harm. If he does work out then they have a cheap guy they can deal at the deadline. I’d imagine it would be a 1 year inventive based deal which if all goes well, could turn franco into a multi year deal candidate in the off season
Franco would need to have an amazing season to land a multi-year deal after being released the previous two seasons and spending his winters looking for work.
No one’s been “dropped” at this point. Harvey going on the 60-day IL prevented any further cuts.
Renato is in Detroit now so he could split time at DH with Davis
I hear that Chris Davis is concerned about his roster spot
But he’s not worried about his $46M remaining on his contract.
It’s amazing that apparently Davis feels no sense of guilt or humiliation and is able to continue coming up to the plate every game amidst a shower of boos and hatred from the fans. Personally I wouldn’t be able to do it while maintaining any sense of pride or accountability, but I guess Davis is a better man than me in that regard. I would probably be happy with the hundred million or so I’ve already “earned” and start living a life with a clear conscience, but again that’s just me.
Like many major leaguers, Davis was grossly underpaid for his performance the first six years of his career, so I have no problem with him making up for it on the back side of his career.
This simply isn’t true. There’s tons of articles about his guilt and inability to play well. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26488549/chris-davis-0-54-streak People see him as the downfall of those fun orioles teams but it was the front office who gave him that contract and overestimated their position in the AL. They were always exceptionally lucky teams that were operating on a razor thin margin of error. If Chris Davis stops taking the money and stops playing where do you really think that money is going? Back into the team or directly into Angelo’s pocket?
@KCJ. Not ever player will do the very rare gift that Gil Meche gave the Royals (forfeiting a guaranteed 12 million dollars).
It’s amazing that apparently KJC has no sense of guilt or humiliation for his comments.
Why in the world…
It’s amazing…
KCJ’s got a monopoly on disbelief
I wonder what Davis feels like having not only the worst contract in baseball history, but perhaps in the history of professional sports.
If you read the article o971 linked to, it seems he feels pretty bad.
But should he feel worse than David Wright or Dustin Pedroia, who barely made it back to the field to attempt to justify their big contracts?
Sports are physically and mentally difficult. Sometimes a player becomes a Hall of Famer, sometimes not. Either way doesn’t necessarily reflect their character.
… did you just say you’d pass on 46 million dollars in which you would be getting to carry out a life long dream of playing pro baseball?
Why post like this about Davis with such seeming certainty when you have not bothered to sufficiently inform yourself? You’ve completely
Gbs- That’s true – he was underpaid and think of the damage he did internally for getting that……. “good.”
0971 –
Frankly I don’t care where the money goes. Not my money.
lordd99 –
No sir, I have a sense of pride and accountability. Apparently you don’t understand what those things are
KCJ – I’m genuinely curious what you think about David Wright’s and Dustin Pedroia’s continued (and failed) attempts to get back on the field while continuing to receive their paychecks.
Dear Mr. Davis,
It’s a little too late to feign concern for your baseball career.
Love,
MLB’s record books
Wait is Chris Davis still in the MLB? Doesn’t he have a negative OBP?
Oriole fans: meet your All-Star team representative for 2021.
A little ill spirited, perhaps.
But – yeah man – I can certainly see that happening.
@Frank
It’s possible if he plays all the time
dont do my man Santander like that!
Not likely. I’d put John Means or Anthony Santander much higher on the list if they perform like they’ve shown they can before.
Don’t forget about Mancini and Mountcastle.
You guys aren’t doing a whole lot to dissuade me of the possibility.
All of those players are better than Franco, what are you talking about?
Aww, man.
I don’t like to kick a team that’s down. Ya know? Especially a team like the Orioles who’ve been a pretty good rival.
But…man, none of those players are very good. Certainly not shoo-ins for the All Star game. & Franco seems like a guy who could put together an All Star worthy half season.
I think Mountcastle would have a much better chance
Is this to suggest you think he’s the lone representative this year? I could think of several other possibilities from the current roster to make the All-Star team.
I’m seriously looking forward to Adley Rutschmann’s entrance into MLB, speaking of potential future all star players.
Might as well
Come on over to Baltimore. Show off your hitting ability. Plus Ruiz isn’t cutting it or a part of our future.
Camden Yards certainly seems like a nice place for him to show off that bat.
The Orioles putting the Phillies infield of five years ago together.
To go with the Phillies’ bullpen from last year.
Orioles bullpen was top 15 last year, largely due to players still on the roster (Valdez, Scott, Harvey, Fry)
If he’s smart he wouldn’t waste a year of his career. With that crap team.
A team where he has very little to chance to settle in, he will be traded if he has a good few months.
They have ZERO interest in winning for the next 2-3 years..
@blah
Unless there’s an injury, not much demand for a replacement level 3B on any of the contenders. I’m sure they will try to trade him, but its better than 50/50 he will be there for the season.
He just wants to play everyday. Maikel loves playing baseball and never stops smiling. O’s fans will enjoy him.
By the way, not too many in the game can do a barehanded slow roller up the line like Maikel Franco. Overall, average on defense. But man he makes that play look easy sometimes.
Darkside & VonPurpleHayes can attest to this.
His arm is top tier. if he can field a little more cleanly he can be a premier defensive 3B.
Couldnt agree with ya more 609! Maikey loves playing and helping his team win. Great player to have on a young team in the Clubhouse, great teammate. I know ill make my way down to Camden Yards this season
Sounds like someone’s a little upset he didn’t pick their team.
My Team is set actually.
Just seems quite a few careers have lost a year of productivity with dem O’s.
No waste; he’s continuing to build service time, he may be the best hitter on the team already, he’s in a very low-pressure environment, and looking for a rebound year in a hitter friendly park. I’m not familiar with the O’s coach, BOBBY Dickerson, as a coach, although he played for the Yankees. But, is it possible Galvis had influence over his choice due to potential for improvement for Franco’s D based on information ascertained from Galvis?
Doesn’t seem so bad. Next year he goes where the money (or his preference) takes him. Just my 1/2 cent.
Great spot for him and smart move by both Maikel and the O’s
Boohoo stop ur crying just cause he picked the orioles
I’m still surprised that third baseman Maikel Franco is sitting on the list of unsigned FA’s. After all, in 2020 Franco played in all 60 games for the Royals (51 at 3B, 8 at DH, 2 at first) and batted .278 in 223 AB, 16 doubles, 8 HR, 38 RBI, and a .778 OPS. As the Phillies main third baseman from 2016-2018 Franco averaged 24 HR, 77 RBI, and a .730 OPS in 530 AB. But over the entirety of his career his WAR is just 2.5. So maybe there is reason for this reticence regarding the productivity and well-being of Franco. This past Monday it was reported that the Mets were kicking the tires on Franco. What that meant was anyone’s guess. It could be that they are not so enthralled with J.D. Davis’ defense at the hot corner. And now this news comes out of left field (literally) that the Baltimore could be his new home. One thing for certain is Franco couldn’t find a better landing spot.
Sandy Alderson has already said they know the Mets defense is terrible and they don’t care. If there is an issue for the Mets with Davis it’s not his defense
A 3B/DH type. Wonder if the Orioles are finally willing to cut bait with Chris Davis?
Will be interesting to see Maikel playing to Freddy Galvis’ right again.
This deal makes more sense than the dumb Braves rumor he was attached to
Good move by the O’s. They have a good hitting team. Will only be bad due to a tough division. Would not be surprised if Baltimore plays .500 against the Central and West.
Good move imo. BA doing a lot of little things right.
Franco and Galvis reuniting. While Franco never quite put it all together in Philly, the duo of Franco and Galvis played some great defense that is definitely missed in Philly. I was always a big fan of Franco, but his lack of consistency (offensively and defensively) could be frustrating. It’s tough to say he turned a corner, but he did well in the shortened 2020 season. I’ll be cheering for him in 2021.
The rich get richer
0’s have been rebuilding for a couple of decades. Similar to my beloved Pirates. It’s tough being a small market fan. Only the strong willed can support these markets lol
The 2016 AL Wild Card game wasn’t a couple of decades ago. It’ll be half a decade this fall.
For the Pirates you have to go all the way back to 2015 for the last time they had a really good team. Eons longer.
Hahaha. One year difference and you say “eons” ago. That was hilarious and made me chuckle a bit. Sad truth is, Baltimore is a small market team surviving on scraps with a contract with Chris Davis that no one wants. Granted my beloved Pirates made some silly decisions, but nothing more damaging than a high priced contract you can not get rid of. Maybe if O’s were smarter, they would have seen the playoffs a bit more after 2016?
It’s now 6AM on the East Coast on 3/15. This signing is like giving birth to Godzilla.
The Treaty of Versailles took less time.
It’s a good thing to do, Orioles. He’s not a bad player, and better than what you’ve got. Ink on paper….next!
He’ll be of retirement age before the Orioles can work this out.
Franco just has to pass the physical, so…expect Ruiz to be the starter.
Franco with his easy smile and his penchant for having fun playing the game will be infectious in Ballmer…He has a very strong arm..The complaint was he didn’t have great range..Maybe, but I really didn’t think it hampered him….some of his home runs will be bombs and. the phans will come to like him on their team..never heard a bad word about him in the Phils phamily..looked like a great teammate..
I too will be pulling for him..
I like Ruiz a lot and think he has an awesome swing, but he continues to struggle for whatever reason. Franco is a similar age and quality player and might just take that job from Ruiz. I don’t Franco doesn’t really have splits at the plate, not sure if Ruiz does (maybe the article says it, I didn’t read it all). If so, a platoon makes a lot of sense
I remember when the Padres almost traded for Franco.
BREAKING NEWS: O’s still working on Boog Powell’s contract extension.
I’m not sure Franco and Ruiz make for an obvious “time share.” Ruiz hasn’t done enough to get playing time, which is why the Orioles see Franco as an upgrade. Further complicating, Ruiz has an odd reverse split, hitting lefties better than righties.
Precisely. Both hitters are reverse split types so I’m not too sure the team would want to play them as a strict platoon. In addition, the O’s aren’t a team that can afford to lock up two spots on the 26-man roster for a duo that basically handle a single position. Factor in that while Ruiz hits lefties better, he shows almost no power in a home ballpark that begs for hitters to swing for the fences. I’d wager that the signing of Franco leads to either Ruiz getting optioned to Norfolk or an outright waiver release.
Those reverse splits are probably just anomalies and will regress to a norm over time. Really isn’t a logical causation for reverse splits other than the randomness of numbers.
Even if Franco signs today and go straight to camp he is behind the 8 ball. Ruiz will probably start 3B until he can catch up.
Next update: The “I”s have been dotted, “T”s yet to be crossed.
I’ve never seen such a long drawn out contract negotiation for a journeyman player.
It is the Orioles
You’re assuming Franco’s side isn’t causing the delay. Isn’t it possible that he isn’t jumping for joy that Baltimore is the only team who put some cash on the table and Franco is praying that somebody else steps up to the plate (figuratively)?
Doubt if even Baltimore would put up with that from the likes of Franco. If they’re like, sign here, and he’s like, maybe but not right now, the O’s would just say, see ya.
Get it done already. How pathetic are the Orioles? Its not like they’re digging thd channel tunnel
I kept having this feeling that I’ve read this story. Many times.
Let me guess MLB minimum with incentives up to 1.5 mil if he plays 100 games 250 abs or something
Negotiations should be done by the manned Mars landing.
Orioles continue to move at a glacial speed.
March 17 – Franco has gotten dressed and eaten breakfast.
$1 million is a great deal for the Orioles, not so great for Franco but he should be a better option than Ruiz at least and could be a trade chip. Franco reminds me of Pedro Feliz actually with his lack of plate discipline.
that’s it?
Would YOU sniff at $800,000?
Hot damn, 800k guaranteed?! What a steal for the Orioles. Good for them. Another poster posted my thoughts exactly that if he does well, they’ll flip him for a prospect—great signing by the O’s.
Or sign him long-term. Signing with the O’s ensures him playing time to hit the market again in the fall.
Well the MLB season can start, Hunter Harvey is on the IL.
O’s probably are not cutting bait on Ruiz. I would expect a lot of DH’ing between the two unless Mancini needs to DH often. I would think the end of the line may be near for Chris Davis as there is zero way for player or team to salvage that contract
No room for Ruiz to just hang out to DH and occasionally play 3B. Assuming they keep Davis on the roster (heaven only knows why they’d do this), between Mancini, Mountcastle, Santander and Davis they would have more than enough bats to handle DH. Ruiz just gums up the works. If the team keeps Ruiz, bank on him getting optioned to Norfolk.
Orioles are going to be, to paraphrase Neil Diamond, “so bad, so bad, so bad “