Braves Trade Rightfielder Francoeur to Mets for Church
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To Mets with Cash. From Mets to Braves.
The New York Mets, with 3 of their best players; 1st baseman Carlos Delgado (hip surgery) and centerfielder Carlos Beltran (bruised right knee) as well as shortstop Jose Reyes (right calf) all on the DL and the team falling further behind in the NL East division race, pulled the trigger on a trade with the Atlanta Braves getting righthanded hitting rightfielder Jeff Francoeur and cash in exchange for lefthanded outfielder Ryan Church.
AP sports reporter Jay Cohen details the deal for Yahoo sports:
New York acquired the notorious free-swinger and cash… in a trade of outfielders in need of a change of scenery. The Mets are counting on him to give their anemic lineup some punch while they await the return of some of their injured stars.
Francoeur didn’t waste any time getting to work. He took fly balls in right field hours before the game and sent a stir through Citi Field with a couple drives into the second deck in left during batting practice.
“He seems to bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “He seems very excited about being here, about playing in New York.”
An Atlanta native, Francoeur was a favorite with Braves fans and management during his first full season in 2006, when he hit 29 home runs with 103 RBIs while playing all 162 games.
Francoeur hit .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBIs in 2007, when he won a Gold Glove, but slumped badly last year and was demoted to Double-A Mississippi for three games last July, a move he found embarrassing. He was benched for three games last weekend by Braves manager Bobby Cox.
“I loved my time in Atlanta,” Francoeur said. “It’s where I was from. But at the same time I feel I needed a change and this is something that’s going to, I think, fit real well.”
“You get those guys back in three or four weeks, you can make a run,” Francoeur said. “There’s still 80 games left or whatever, and this team, I’ve played them long enough to know that this team can beat you in a lot of different ways.”
Francoeur has played almost every day over the last three seasons, a plus for the Mets. But he struck out more than 100 times in each of the last three seasons and has only 127 career walks.
Manuel said he met with hitting coach Howard Johnson on Saturday, and the club plans to watch Francoeur for a while before advising him to make any changes. He is batting .253 with five homers and 37 RBIs in 83 games this season.
“I’m 25 years old and I still feel like the best years are ahead of me,” said Francoeur, who makes $3.375 million and is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.
“He’s got unbelievable potential,” said Delgado, who fielded grounders and hit off a tee before the game, and could take batting practice in the next couple days. “We all know that he’s got good power. He’s a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder. He’s got a great arm so he can be a big help.”
It will be interesting to see who helps their new club more down stretch against the Phillies, who appear to have taken full command of the NL East.
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