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Jeff Francoeur

Fixing The Mets

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The New York Post's Joel Sherman offered up some suggestions for shaking things up in the Mets clubhouse this offseason.  He worries that Luis Castillo won't be able to replicate his strong 2009 and that Jeff Francoeur (.826 OPS with New York) may not be able to build on his solid second half.  Unsurprisingly, his chief concern is the Mets starting rotation.

However, Sherman suggests that the Mets first address their other holes before looking at starting pitchers, considering the weak crop available this winter:

"Put out strong one-year offers with a 2011 option to a group at each position. Say Rod Barajas/Bengie Molina/Miguel Olivo at catcher; Nick Johnson/Russ Branyan/Adam LaRoche at first: and Bobby Abreu, Mark DeRosa and Jermaine Dye for left field. The first guy to take the offer in each group gets the contract."

The Mets were linked to Bobby Abreu for some time last offseason, so it would make sense for them to re-visit that idea again this year.  Adam LaRoche looks like a completely different player in Atlanta, posting .354/.432/.618 with 12 HRs in 49 games.  Abreu projects to be a Type A free agent whereas LaRoche should be a Type B. 

Should the Mets address their pitching woes via free agency?  As badly as they need to bolster spots two through five, there won't be a great deal of options available.  Would you extend multi-year deals to the likes of Rich Harden or Joel Pineiro?  Should the Mets pick up where they left off last year and consider Randy Wolf?

Odds & Ends: Mets, Francoeur, 2010 Free Agents

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Some more links to digest on a great day for baseball around most of the country…

  • Mets manager Jerry Manuel suggested Saturday that he'd like to see his club go after a reliable starter this offseason.  "You can always use pitching," said the skipper.  (Quote courtesy of Anthony McCarron with the New York Daily News).  There should be a decent market for starters this winter.  And for even more on the Mets, check out MLBTR's Offseason Outlook.
  • In the same article, Manuel mentions that he's been impressed with Jeff Francoeur, who is "playing hard with nothing to really go for."  The 25-year-old outfielder is batting .315/.341/.487 since arriving in New York and is under team control until 2012.  "He's been a welcome addition," Manuel added. "He should be a good piece moving forward."
  • Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports continues his series on the 2010 free agent class.  He's ranking the 111 best available players with semi-daily columns.  Here's his take on Nos. 111-91.  If you haven't already bookmarked Circling The Bases, or added it to your RSS feed, you're missing out on a host of good content.

Odds And Ends: Rizzo, Rangers, Hall

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More links for the morning…

  • Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that it would have been wrong for the Nats to give the GM job to anybody but Mike Rizzo, who will be formally introduced in about four hours.
  • Via Twitter, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that the Rangers signed Dominican righty David Perez for $425k.
  • Bill Hall tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he put too much pressure on himself after inking a $24MM deal with the Brewers.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the Mets can watch Jeff Francoeur play 40 more games before they have to decide whether to offer him a contract for next year.
  • As Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows, Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese high schooler who can throw 96mph and has attracted at least some interest from MLB teams. 

Heyman On Halladay, Francoeur, Brewers

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Jon Heyman of SI.com hears the Blue Jays have told the Yankees and Red Sox they're unlikely to trade Roy Halladay within the AL East and haven't even returned a call the Yankees placed about Halladay over a week ago. That leaves the Phillies and, now, the Dodgers as frontrunners to acquire the Jays ace. Here are the details and a few stray rumors:

  • One executive believes that any Blue Jays-Phillies swap would have to begin with the supposedly untouchable Kyle Drabek, who impressed in this week's Futures Game.
  • At least one exec believes the Jays would want to pluck a player from the Dodgers major league roster in any deal.
  • The Dodgers don't necessarily have enough minor league talent to tempt the Jays.
  • One Jays person said Cardinals top prospect Brett Wallace may not be enough to acquire Doc. 
  • The Jays are not insisting that teams take on the Vernon Wells contract in a potential deal. 
  • The Yankees and Red Sox have become more protective of their minor leaguers, so they're not likely to overwhelm the Jays with offers.  
  • The Yankees tried to trade for Jeff Francoeur last offseason. 
  • The Brewers could still make a run for a star pitcher. 
  • As SI writer Tom Verducci notes, the Dodgers would like to acquire a top reliever such as Chad Qualls or George Sherrill.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Church, Francoeur, Betancourt

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Had enough of yesterday's trades yet? Good, because here are some reactions from around the blogosphere…

  • Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog says he's not sure the Ryan Church–Jeff Francoeur swap makes total sense, and he's not sure if the move will have an impact for either team.
  • Sam Page at Amazin' Avenue says that he's convinced the trade makes no sense, and all of the "talk about potential, shake-ups and athleticism is just noise."
  • Talking Chops' "gondeee" likes the Church pickup, even if it cost the once-face of the franchise. Admittedly, it's been a while since Francoeur was viewed in that light.
  • Jay Yencich at USS Mariner says the Mariners came out pretty good in the Yuniesky Betancourt deal, even if they had to send some cash Kansas City's way.
  • D.W. at Tangled Up In (Royal) Blue doesn't understand how the move fits into the big picture for the Royals.
  • Keith at The Royals Tower is taking a hiatus from blogging out of frustration caused by the deal.

Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Francoeur, Halladay, Angels

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We managed to find some rumors in between all of the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter coverage this morning. Congrats to Jonathan, hopefully Juan Uribe will be buying him a very big and expensive steak dinner. Or ten. On to the links…

  • ESPN's Keith Law doesn't like the Yuniesky Betancourt trade for the Royals, saying he might be the worst everyday player in the big leagues.
  • David Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to send a message by acquiring Jeff Francoeur, but it's "more like a gentle poke than a full-blown shake-up."
  • SI's Jon Heyman tweets that he'd include the struggling Joba Chamberlain in a package for Roy Halladay "no problem."
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure writes that the Angels efforts on the international market stalled this year after the firing of international scouting supervisor Clay Daniels, who is under investigation by Major League Baseball for his part in the bonus-skimming scandal. Arangure also has notes on several other big name international signees, including Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who received $8.2MM from the Red Sox.
  • MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith will be on 940 ESPN Radio at 10am CST this morning talking rumors. Click the link to give a listen.

Mets, Braves Swap Church For Francoeur

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6:07pm: Hubbuch clears up some confusion: the Braves are sending the Mets cash in the deal. That makes more sense given the difference in salaries.

5:48pm: Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News reports that Braves also received cash in the deal. Church is making $2.8MM this year, his second arbitration eligible season. Francoeur is making $3.375MM in his first arbitration eligible year.

5:04pm: Hubbuch says the deal was straight up, one for one.

5:01pm: David Lennon tweets that Church was traded to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur has put up a .250-.282-.352 batting line in 324 plate appearances in 2009.

5:00pm: Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post tweets that the Ryan Church has "apparently been traded." Church is hitting .280-.332-.375 in 255 plate appearances this season, and has been playing centerfield recently while Carlos Beltran is the DL. 

Trade Candidates: Outfielders

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This year’s outfielders have a lot to live up to on July 31st. It was just a year ago that the Red Sox  parted with Manny Ramirez and acquired Jason Bay. This time, Matt Holliday’s the big name, but there are also a few cheap, powerful players out there for teams looking to add an outfielder. Here’s your list of trade candidates, ranked from highest 2009 salary to lowest:

  • Matt Holliday – At $13.5MM, Holliday's pricey, but he's a good defender with a history of batting excellence. With just seven extra base hits in the last month, Holliday's no longer perceived as a sure thing.
  • Jermaine Dye - He makes $11.5MM this year and there's a mutual option with a $1MM buyout for 2010 on his deal. The White Sox want to win now though, so Dye doesn't appear to be on the block.
  • Gary Matthews Jr. – The Angels would presumably pick up salary in any deal involving Matthews, as he makes $10MM this year and $23MM over the course of the next two years.  
  • Juan Pierre – Another overpaid outfielder in LA, Pierre makes $10MM this year and $18.5MM over the course of the next two. At least he's hitting well, with an OBP approaching .400 and a career-high slugging percentage.
  • Alex Rios – He makes $5.9MM this year and has $60MM more coming his way between now and 2014. His teammate, Vernon Wells likely could not be traded.
  • David Dejesus – Under contract for $3.6MM this year, he can play all three outfield positions, but his .714 OPS is ordinary. 
  • Mark Teahen – Makes $3.6MM as well and can play the outfield, though he's been manning third for the Royals. He has a .344 OBP and 27 extra base hits.  
  • Jeff Francoeur –  He's struggled since last year and makes $3.4MM this season, so the suitors are not lining up for Francoeur. 
  • Josh Willingham – He has 10 homers for a .534 slugging percentage and he'll earn $3MM in 2009. Mike Rizzo says Adam Dunn's staying in Washington.
  • Luke Scott - He makes just $2.4MM this year and won't be a free agent until after 2012, so the Orioles have a cheap, powerful asset on their hands. They have three talented outfielders already in Nolan Reimold, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones, so they could conceivably part with Scott.
  • Jeremy Hermida – With good patience, some power and a $2.25MM contract, Hermida could appeal to teams in need of a bat.
  • Cody Ross – Like Scott, Ross is cheap and powerful. He's slugging .505 and makes just $2.2MM this year. He's scheduled to hit free agency after 2011.  
  • Scott Hairston – He was just traded, but he plays solid defense and has extra base power, so Hairston, who makes $1.25MM this year, could appeal to other teams.  
  • Ryan Spilborghs – Apparently the Rockies would prefer to hold onto Spilborghs, who's under team control for three more years and makes just $415k this season.  

The Tigers, Braves, Mets, Giants and Reds could all look for outfield bats.

Olney’s Latest: Atlanta’s Potential Trade Partners

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney chimes in with some players and teams that could matchup in a trade with the Braves, who could dangle Javier Vazquez and/or Yunel Escobar as bait. Most of the rumors are just Olney's own speculation, but let's round 'em up anyway.

  • The Red Sox have liked Escobar for a while, but don't match up very well for a trade.
  • Olney mentions that Jacoby Ellsbury might be the only fit since JD Drew is owed a ton of money and Jason Bay will be a free agent after the year, but that wouldn't work for  Boston since they would then need to find another centerfielder.
  • Olney speculates that the Red Sox could use their young pitching to engage a third team in a trade, mentioning that Matt LaPorta, Shin-Soo Choo and Corey Hart could be a good fit.
  • Boston could eat some of the money left on Julio Lugo's deal to give Atlanta a stop-gap shortstop should they deal Escobar.
  • The Red Sox are not interested in Jeff Francoeur.
  • If Milwaukee and Atlanta discussed a Vazquez-Hart swap, the Brewers would likely have to kick in another piece.
  • The Twins could offer one of their many outfielders in exchange for Escobar. Delmon Young might not be enough to entice the Braves, but Michael Cuddyer or Denard Span could be.
  • The Dodgers would love to add Vazquez to their rotation, but Juan Pierre probably wouldn't be enough given his lack of power.
  • The A's could package Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera, both free agents after the season, for Escobar, who would step in as Oakland's shortstop of the future.

Stark On Royals, Phillies, Holliday

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark asks some thoughtful baseball people why we're not greeting Manny Ramirez like the "team-wrecking, alibi-distorting, female-fertility-drug-popping scoundrel he is." And, of course, Stark has piles of rumors. Here they are:

  • The Mets were never willing to move Bobby Parnell or other top young arms for Mark DeRosa, so they weren't as close to acquiring him as the Reds and Cubs were. The Phillies, Marlins and Giants were also in the mix.
  • The Indians are more interested in dealing Rafael Bentancourt than Kerry Wood, whose contract ($15MM remaining) would be hard to move.  
  • The Royals will listen on anyone but Zack Greinke, but that doesn't mean they're looking to deal starters. They're "reluctant" to deal Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies or Gil Meche, who has a no-trade clause.
  • The Phillies were looking at Juan Cruz, who the Royals say they'd only deal for an upper-tier prospect ready to make a big-league impact.  
  • The Reds will wait it out and ramp up their pursuit of a bat if they're in the race later in the month.  
  • One executive says Pedro Martinez didn't look bad in last month's workout; Pedro's just demanding too much money. 
  • The Phillies haven't given up on pursuing Cliff Lee, Erik Bedard or Roy Oswalt.  
  • The Braves are trying to deal Jeff Francoeur everywhere, but no one's interested. One front-office guy says his team would be interested if Francoeur's non-tendered.  
  • Officials are divided on whether Yunel Escobar could be dealt, but a trade is unlikely at best.  
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he is now looking to bolster his rotation.  
  • As expected, Daniels confirmed that the Rangers will have "limited" ability to take on salary at the deadline. 
  • The A's will want "two prospects with tremendous upside" for Matt Holliday if they deal him. It's unclear how much of the $6.75MM remaining on his contract the A's would pick up.
  • Could Josh Willingham be the next-best bat on the market? One exec says he might be if Russell Branyan and Miguel Tejada don't become available.  
  • Another official says Willingham's unappealing because of his back issues.  
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