NY Post says "Francoeur trade may be in the works"

[Benjamin Grimm]

Francoeur trade may be in the works By MIKE PUMA Last Updated: 8:59 AM, July 22, 2010 Posted: 4:20 AM, July 22, 2010 PHOENIX -- Jeff Francoeur's days in a Mets uniform could be numbered. According to an industry source, the team is trying to trade the right fielder, and could have a deal in place by the time the Mets finish their series in Los Angeles this weekend. Francoeur would welcome a trade, according to a person friendly with the right fielder, if it gave him a chance to play every day. Francoeur's playing time has been diminished with Carlos Beltran's return from the disabled list. Angel Pagan has assumed the starting right-field duties, with Francoeur coming off the bench for the first time in his career. If Francoeur still is with the team on Sunday, he likely would start against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who yesterday appealed a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing at San Francisco's Aaron Rowand Tuesday night. But manager Jerry Manuel likely will give Beltran a day off before then, giving Francoeur an opportunity to start. Full article

[metirish]

Any guesses as to where he might go?

[Benjamin Grimm]

There's one blogger, a former Expos beat writer, who's speculating that Francouer and Mejia might go to Houston for Oswalt. But it didn't seem like anything more than pure speculation.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

metirish wrote: Any guesses as to where he might go?

Somewhere where there's a surplus reliever.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: There's one blogger, a former Expos beat writer, who's speculating that Francouer and Mejia might go to Houston for Oswalt. But it didn't seem like anything more than pure speculation.

My first thought upon reading the "report" was "NFW." Second thought? "Well... maybe Wade."

That said... this seems a little dopey for him, even. For Captain Wifebeater (when offered with, say, a sub-Mejia/-Flores prospect or two)? That I can see.

[Guest Edgy DC]

i'd find it surprising, considering Mejia hasn't pitched in almost a month.

[Guest attgig]

Who would actually want him? He's not going to get offered arbi by whatever team who takes him, so he's essentially a rental player. who has a shot to get to the playoffs, and needs an OF'er?


The only teams who really need a RF bat or a DH would be...
Rays (maybe platoon with aybar?)
Whitesox (Andruw Jones has cooled off a LOT)
who else?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

mfy's coulduse a righthanded bat. I'll take vasquez thank you

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Who would actually want him? He's not going to get offered arbi by whatever team who takes him, so he's essentially a rental player. who has a shot to get to the playoffs, and needs an OF'er?

More to the point: who needs this outfielder?

Players a lot more desirable than him (and Ollie... and possibly TAFKAThrob) have been DFAed and released all year long.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He was having a worse time of it when the Mets traded for him last year.

A team that has a hole to fill, a player to move, and is curious perhaps about whether he's a worthwhile project for someobdy might want him.

I don't get the cynicism. Unimpressive players get traded all the time. The Mets moved Rey Sanchez. REY SANCHEZ!

[metirish]

Did they move Sanchez because of his hitting or his hair cutting?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think they moved him because you don't get too many chances at a talent like Kenny Kelly.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

They also traded the other ss called "Rey" that I don't like naming, and at the time he had a pretty hideous contract.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Who would actually want him? He's not going to get offered arbi by whatever team who takes him, so he's essentially a rental player. who has a shot to get to the playoffs, and needs an OF'er? More to the point: who needs this outfielder? Players a lot more desirable than him (and Ollie... and possibly TAFKAThrob) have been DFAed and released all year long.

Exactly. Before I read through this thread, and was made aware of the possibility that Francoeur might merely be one player in a multi-player trade, I thought to myself: Who the hell would be dumb enough to want him and more importantly, what kind of useless crap would we get in return?

[ashie62]

Can they trade Jason Bay instead? Yes, I am only joking.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

`

Edgy DC wrote: He was having a worse time of it when the Mets traded for him last year. A team that has a hole to fill, a player to move, and is curious perhaps about whether he's a worthwhile project for someobdy might want him. I don't get the cynicism. Unimpressive players get traded all the time. The Mets moved Rey Sanchez. REY SANCHEZ!

Because Frenchy's older now than he used to be. Because every GM in the league only has to hit Google to see how many times (already!) he's been the subject of turning-over-a-new-leaf stories, every year, sometimes twice a year... only to eventually regress even further in his approach. Because even his gifts-- the stuff that stayed with him through the plate selection problems-- are fading. Because there's a difference between being kind and nice and decent... and actually being coachable.

Because player valuation is better in virtually every front office in the league than it used to be, by leaps and bounds. Because Omar-- who's far from an idiot, and doesn't do a poor job with many aspects of the GMing-- is so far from the class of his field, simply because his notion of player valuation is off.

Because he doesn't play catcher or shortstop or second. Because so many others can play right field better. Because he actually seems to be getting slightly worse. Because paying in trade/money for a player of his caliber is a fool's errand.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Or, it's a move of a player that you have to shed also.

Sean Gallagher got traded. Kevin Cash got traded. Maybe he'll get released, maybe traded. But things happen.

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: There's one blogger, a former Expos beat writer, who's speculating that Francouer and Mejia might go to Houston for Oswalt. But it didn't seem like anything more than pure speculation.

Everything I've heard/read over the last month has Houston asking for a lot in return for Oswalt - like several top prospects - and now Oswalt apparently wants his 2012 option picked up before he'll agree to waive his NT clause.
IOW, I think this blogger is doing nothing more than just matching up names that are "out there" even as it's starting to look less and less likely that Oswalt is even going to be dealt.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Because there's a difference between being kind and nice and decent... and actually being coachable.

Do you really think I said or implied anything about his decency. Come on already.

Sean Gallagher got traded. Kevin Cash got traded. Maybe he'll get released, maybe traded. But things happen. That's the crux of my argument. Things happen.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy DC wrote: Because there's a difference between being kind and nice and decent... and actually being coachable. Do you really think I said or implied anything about his decency. Come on already.

Didn't say you did. Just meant that for all his decency-- and I'll stipulate that he appears to be one of the more standup guys to pass through these parts in years-- he's proven stunningly intractable regarding bad baseball habits, which doesn't bode well for the prospects of any future corrective steps.

Sean Gallagher got traded. Kevin Cash got traded. Maybe he'll get released, maybe traded. But things happen. That's the crux of my argument. Things happen.

This is true.

I think, though, that it's probably going to be a release, if anything.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The numbers are butt-ugly.

Among regular NL right-fielders, Francouer is dead last in HR's, BB's, BA, OBP, SLG, RC, RC/27, ISOP, SECA , BB/K and AB per HR. Jeff Francoeur swings like Dave Kingman, but with none of Sky King's power. Francoeur is the least likeliest everyday NL right fielder to hit a homer.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Oooh, I dub-posted.

[metirish]

And to think I predicted he would make the All-Star Team .

[Benjamin Grimm]

Frayed Knot wrote: Everything I've heard/read over the last month has Houston asking for a lot in return for Oswalt - like several top prospects - and now Oswalt apparently wants his 2012 option picked up before he'll agree to waive his NT clause.

True, but it's possible that Oswalt's demand may reduce his trade value. (Depends on how determined the Astros are to trade him.)

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: The numbers are butt-ugly. Among regular NL right-fielders, Francouer is dead last in HR's, BB's, BA, OBP, SLG, RC, RC/27, ISOP, SECA , BB/K and AB per HR. Jeff Francoeur swings like Dave Kingman, but with none of Sky King's power. Francoeur is the least likeliest everyday NL right fielder to hit a homer.

Ironically, Francouer's AB per HR rate surpasses those of his outfielding teammates, Bay and Pagan.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, at this point we need not compare him to starting rightfielders, but to scrubs, weenies, waiver fodder, sad sacks, and nerf herders.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, at this point we need not compare him to starting rightfielders, but to scrubs, weenies, waiver fodder, sad sacks, and nerf herders.

You're right. It's too bad though, that the Mets gave him 300+ plate appearances squeezed into half a season before pulling his plug.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Hey, look. I know you snarkazoids will focus on the PT he did get, but if you asked me whether I thought the Mets would have the stones to bench Francoeur given all he done for them as a spokesman and their marketing of him, I'd have said, not in a million years.

[duan]

he's got a career .826 ops against lefties (.787 this season) and is really really suited to helping a team who could use a lefty killing 4th OF.

actually if you look at the yankees where granderson struggle's against lefties are verging on the epic you'd get a very good fit. Gardner to centre, Frenchy in against a lefty would be a .220 ops upgrade.


of course if we could just stick with the program and start him instead of pagan against lefties or occassinally to give carlos a rest, it'd be fine.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

.826 against lefties-- and an OBP-light .826 at that-- is a number that's more "lefty-poker-with-a-dull-stick" than "lefty-killer".