The Rangers and Mets swapped players they no longer needed tonight, exchanging Jeff Francoeur and Joaquin Arias. Francoeur was no longer a fit in New York, and suggested this summer that he would welcome a trade. Last week, the Rangers designated Arias for assignment (to make room for former Met Alex Cora, of all people), so they weren't relying on him any more than the Mets relied on Francoeur.
About $897K remains on Francoeur's contract, but the Mets will pay most of that. The 26-year-old is hitting just .236/.293/.369 in 443 plate appearances, so he was a non-tender candidate on the Mets and remains one on the Rangers.
Like most right-handed hitters, Francoeur has markedly better numbers against left-handed pitching, both for his career (.820 OPS) and in 2010 (.767 OPS). David Murphy struggles against left-handers, so the Rangers needed a right-handed complement to Murphy, especially given Nelson Cruz's hamstring and Josh Hamilton's knee.
The Rangers acquired Arias as part of the 2004 Alfonso Soriano–Alex Rodriguez trade. Arias did have a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but this year he hit just .276/.290/.347 in 101 plate appearances so they no longer needed the 25-year-old.
ESPN's Adam Rubin first reported that the Rangers were considering Francoeur and Jon Heyman of SI.com reported (via Twitter) that the sides were actively discussing a deal involving Francoeur and Arias. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and others also reported on the deal via Twitter.
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So Mets fans have one less Met to hate on. Nice.
Take him but i guarantee he wont walk over there or find first base, I wonder what will Jerry do without his star right fielder?
Give Chris Carter, “a good hitter” more playing time maybe?
chris carter should be in tri aaa so he can become the next mike hessman i just hope they let kids play from tri aaa and see what they got….
I was joking, Jerry Manuel was asked about him, and referred to him as “a good hitter” hence the quotes in my first comment.
In next weeks news Frenchy lost in Texas, has yet to find first base, and swings on slider thrown in dirt in new York while in Texas
Seems like he could benefit from the ballpark and the overall mood of that club. Too bad Rudy still isn’t there to help him.
im pretty sure rudy isnt all he is cracked up to be…example the rangers this year…vlad is a beast and josh is having an MVP season with out rudy mean while rudy has done nothing for the cubs…which is why hitting coaches are interchangeable in the bigs…they dont help anyone with exception to one or two guys…a year hitting coaches all preach the same thing, balance and quick short swings with fast hands…the only COACHING that goes on with hitting is in the minors…rudy and his “one of the worst offenses in the league cubs” are prime example the hitting coaches hardly do anything but get fired when teams suck
Not true, they dod not all teach the same & they do help more than 2 guys. You couldn’t b more wrong about no coaching going on in the majors. Don’t know what poorly run team you follow.
In his defense, Jeff Francouer offers good intangibles to a playoff bound team. First, he has a great attitude towards the game, and is considered an excellent clubhouse influence. Second, his defense is terms of range is solid, and his arm is one of the best in the game. Third, when he gets hot, he can carry a team for 2-3 weeks as he did for the Mets earlier this season.
While he’s been much maligned, he could be a good fit to a playoff bound team.
He is statistically one of the worst RF in the majors, if not the worst. Look at his BAA, OPS, etc.
I cannot dispute this…Over the course of a season, he’s just not a starting MLB RF’er. I enjoyed his good stretches with the Mets teams as he brings great energy and enthusiasm. Somehow, he’s just a gamer, and you root for him when you watch him play…
Bringing energy and all that is cool, but it by no means helps the teams performance. That is a skill based thing, something he strongly lacks.
Unless a player is a super utility guy who plays great defense on multiple positions a mlb baseball player with a sub-.300 on base base percentage does not belong in the big leagues
Frenchy has a 0.39 BB/K ratio and a .293 OBP. His OPS+ is 78. He does have a plus arm, but it’s not plus enough to make up for the 43% of pitches out of the strike zone he’s been swinging at. Guy has an eye like Sammy Davis Jr.
His .820 OPS vs Lefties (career) though does suggest he could be an above-average RF’er against Left Handed Pitching though.
Of course, he should never, ever, see the field against a Righty.
Yeah, he is a usefull player if you can stash him on the bench and use him when you want a base hit against a lefty. His range is pretty poor but his arm makes him useable as a defensive platoon partner in RF, but perferably you can just keep him around as a PH who can play the outfield.
please dont use an offensive stat like ops to proclaim a guy an above-average RF’er…offense has nothing to do with where he plays on the field
Come on man, you can sum up your entire paragraph with one sentence:
Late-inning defensive replacement.
LOL!
He is TERRIBLE offensively, and mediocre overall defensively despite his arm.
Clubhouse influence??
OMG!!!
He was semi-benched for a couple of days, and bitched about wanting a trade.
Did he say he understood, would work harder at plate discipline, and do whatever is best for the team?
Hell no.
He stinks offensively, has a great arm, but is not great overall defensively, and apparently thinks he is a real good player.
As a lifelong Met fan, this loser–who the Braves knew was a loser–can not be gone fast enough.
A player who is perfectly symbolic of what is cancerously wrong with this Met team—selfish mediocrity, unwillingness to work to improve, yet still possessing the attitude that he is great.
While I agree with most of your points, I feel we need more players who are willing to play as hard as Frenchy did, when people don’t hustle out ground balls, try to break up double plays, or give their all in the field (*cough* Beltran *cough*) there is something wrong.
No.
He sucks. Hard.
Don’t forget, he has the unmatched ability to fold bath towels like no one else in the NL.
Great attitude towards the game? like when he refuses to help the team by riding the bench? He’s got a good personality, but I would too if I were tricking people into letting me play.
As long as he is only playing vs. LHP he will be fine. It’s the RHP that gives him the problems.
I stated a while back that I thought he would be a good fit in a HR hitters park, such as Arlington. He’s had a lot of deep fly balls this year that would’ve probably carried out in some stadiums, that didn’t in NY.
But didn’t he say he doesn’t want to platoon or be a bench player? He wanted a full time starting job…
Tnks Texas, Srsly.
Frenchy would be a fine addition, especially with Hamilton’s injury flare up. Supposedly Hamilton might have to DH for a while because of a knee issue. If they got Franceour it would mean that we wouldn’t have to see Vlad in the field as much, that’s an adventure every time.
Good point. He’d be a good insurance policy against injury to a starter.
Another note on Jeff Francouer having watched him play for the Mets during his time there. What doesn’t bear out in his stats is the fact that he is quite good at getting runners advanced, and particularly getting men in or over. I see him as a talented guy who could return to his early career form is he could improve his pitch selection. He has skills (i.e., RBI ability, arm, clutch) that you really can’t teach.
Would love to see him win ‘Comeback Player of the Year’
Plus, he has a female agent, which I think is cool (and, yes, I may be alone on this point 😉
He is a horrible, horrible player, and is not a major league starter now that the league has figured him out.
And he is a selfish numbskull who is unwilling to put the team first or to work to get better.
The Rangers might be improving, but there is a clear reason they have been among baseball’s least successful teams for forty years.
Wanting Franceour beautifully illustrates this.
PLEASE take him Texas.
I had a long rant bashing you for making that comment about the Rangers. Then I realized that you have to watch the Mets for the next decade, and I get to watch the Rangers. Sucks to be you
Francouer is purely a depth move. Cruz has missed time this year, and Hamilton and Vlad are no sure bets to stay healthy. Considering Joaquin Arias was going to be released in a few days anyway, I have no problems adding a little insurance for the next month or so
And for the record, I don’t think Frenchy is very good…but who the hell plays outfield for the Mets that merits playing time over him? Beltran and Bay have missed significant time, and I don’t even know what’s up w/ F-mart. Pagan has been good, but Chris Carter? There’s a big difference b/w demanding playing time over Chris Carter and demanding it over one of Hamilton/Cruz/Vlad in TX. He’ll be a good boy, and if he’s not…we were gonna dump Arias in a few days anyway
Classic!!
The Rangers have been in existence for FIFTY YEARS since starting in Wash in 1961, and in their history have won–wait for it—ONE PLAYOFF GAME!!
Not one series, ONE GAME.
One of the very worst franchises in the history of American sports appears poised for their fourth postseason appearance in FIFTY YEARS.
And they will most definitely get wiped out by MINN, NY, or TB.
How’s Cliff Lee? Ready for that 7 year $140 mil contract, or are you bankrupt again?
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Cliff Lee gets that kind of an offer, it will probably be from the Yankees. That’s just crazy talk
Secondly, if the Mets don’t start pulling some prospects out of thin air and dump some bloated contracts, they won’t win any playoff series for the foreseeable future either
Thirdly, I don’t care about the last 50 years, b/c right now the Rangers are in a position as an organization that nearly every team in the league would dream about right now, with the possible exceptions of Tampa Bay and your big brother in NY. Enjoy living in the past remembering accomplishments I’m betting you probably weren’t alive for, while I enjoy watching my team have champagne celebrations next month
Got me; I am 3 years old, and was not alive for 2006, when the Mets accomplished FAR more than the pathetic joke Rangers have in 50 years.
Texas is 6-12 against NY, MN, and TB.
Texas is 24-5 against SEA, KC, PIT, and HOU.
Texas is a .500 team on the road.
Texas is a mediocre team, taking advantage of the Angels’ off year, and Texas will be right back in 3rd place next year.
The Mets are not baseball’s best, but a Rangers fan crowing is about as big of a joke as this little planet has to offer.
You’ve definitely got a point there. The Athletics are a joke, the Mariners are and joke and a half and the Angels just don’t have it this year…easy to win a division of only three oher teams two of which being beyond lousy
Since the All-Star break we’re 18-8 against the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Twins. We apparently suck against the Rays, but considering we haven’t had Kinsler and Cruz for a nice chunk of the last month, I will take that any day
Sry 11-5
What are you boasting about? The Mutts fan is right. TEX hasn’t done a damn thing in their entire history.
I know, and I’m sorry (to ChestRockwell especially). I’ve been kind of on edge lately…I got pretty carried away there. I do realize that the last 40 years or so have been full of suck for us. Shouldn’t have started taking shots at the Mets
I just didn’t appreicate the comment about how trading Joaquin Arias for Jeff Francouer is the kind of move that illustrates the futility of the franchise. For one, Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan have nothing to do w/ about the last 35 years of that futility, and for two, Jeff Francouer is not going to play every day. He and Cantu aren’t very good, but one thing they can do (no pun intended) is hit lefties, which makes them ideal platoon partners w/ David Murphy and Mitch Moreland. We gave up nothing valuable for either player, which makes them low risk/decent reward kinds of deals. We do have a crappy division, and therefore a big lead to play w/…so it makes a lot of sense to bring in depth so we can rest Hamilton/Vlad/Kinsler/Cruz and make sure they are healthy for October
If you want to debate how much the move improves the Rangers, fine. I just thought taking a shot at our history wasn’t necessary. And it certainly doesn’t discredit what Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan have done the last 3-4 years to get this team into the position they’re in right now, or make or break the season
Two other organizations have given up on Frenchy improving his pitch selection for what, six seasons? If the Rangers want to be Sucker No. 3, more power to ’em.
This just in:
Jeff Franceuer, a hug, tears of joy, and a “thank you so much” to the Rangers for a “You’re welcome, Mets fans” to be scheduled or implied later.
Why is this even a discussion for the Mets–that is, unless they’re discussing using FedEx or UPS…
it is a shame that this guy lost his offense because he is a good clubhouse guy and a good defensive right fielder. With the exception of his insanely bad eye for the baseball, he is a good gritty player to have on a team
Incredible.
He is NOT a good gritty player, he is NOT a good clubhouse influence, and there is a reason the Braves dumped him for nothing the first chance they could. And he has a great arm, but is NOT a great outfielder overall.
A guy who responds to being platooned by whining for a trade, instead of acknowledging how terrible he is and vowing to work harder is NOT a good clubhouse guy.
Damn, mythology and nonsense are powerful things!
Jerry Manuel told him that he would platoon with a rookie and then told him he would not and then platooned him anyway…listen….from an offensive standpoint, he is absolutely atrocious…I can’t even begin to count how many times this guy swings at the first pitch or how many times he is out on 3 pitches or less…but I personally do not feel he is as bad as people make him out to be…put this guy on a good team, with good ownership, a competent manager that knows what he is doing and I think you will see the difference….he is an example of a guy who was happy to be here and was producing after the trade and the first month of this season…he went into a slump, came out of it, the whole team went into a slump and things went downhill from there….oh and I never said he was a great outfielder, I said he was good
He’s not a good OF either. What does him platooning w/ a rookie have to do w/ anything? He should keep his mouth shut since he sucks so much. A good clubhouse guy would suck it up & say he’d do anything to help the team win. But not selfish FYF. He still thinks he’s great player.
In defense of Frenchy, he has a nice smile and likes puppies.
Actually Manuel told him he would be platooned with Pagan when Beltran came back, and then proceeded to play Pagan everyday, and then a few weeks ago, he started playing Chris Carter over Francoeur, who I feel is even worse than Jeff. So if I was in his shoes, ahem, cleats, I would ask for a trade too.
Request a trade because he got sent to the bench where he belonged? How about JF admit that he sucks & say he’s going to work on some things & try to improve.
If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t request a trade because I was benched, I would request a trade because my manager lied about my playing time twice. As a manager you can’t promise a player a platoon and bench him, and then later promise him he’ll start and bench him again without expecting that player to be upset with you.
*The funniest Jeff Francouer joke in the thread*
Bwahahahahahahahahahaha.
jeff francoeur, how is this guy been in MLB as long as he has? he brings nothing other than a strong arm to the show
Not sure as to who won this trade…
The Mets simply for not having to deal with a guy who thinks he’s an everyday player even though he’s not good enough to be one anymore. At least Arias knows his role and is making the major league minimum so he can be easily disposed of at will with no consequence.
frenchy had a good manager and organization with the braves and was given every opportunity to succeed and build on his decent gathered stats from his first 2 1/2 years.
AND HE FAILED! MISERABLY! his last 3 years, he has managed to somehow convince managment to start him in basically every game (he has 1727 PA the last 3 years) and produced a horrific .698 ops, with an OBP of .300…that’s way worse than replacement level, but oh no, mr. francoeur’s a starter because of that sparkly smile and devilish good looks.
1. he whined about being sent to the minors by the braves
2. he whined about being platooned by the mets.
3. he’ll probably whine about being traded.
over the last 3 years, fangraphs has his value as a major league baseball player at -2.5 million dollars. that’s right. francoeur should have been paying the braves and the mets these last 3 years to let him play, not vice-versa.
regarding lefties: yes, francoeur has hit better against lhp to the tune of an .820 ops, but that’s still not reason to keep him on a roster. in order to be considered a lefty masher, you better rake against lefties, like matt diaz and cody ross who both are over a .900 ops for their careers.
francoeur has an arm. he better get used to using it, because his best chance to be a serious major leaguer sure isnt swinging the bat. reverse ankiel anyone?
Ah, how nice that some people understand baseball!
Well said!
Well said. Great post! I seriously think he should give pitching a shot. But he’s in fantasyland.
It is truly amazing how much he’s played w/ those crappy stats.
and to think… the rangers could have had cano over arias. phew!
Cantu. Guzman. Molina. Cora. Francoeur. What a fine collection of garbage. They’re lucky the rest of the west stinks.
THANK YOU!!!!
Your comment about having to watch the Mets for the next decade….
Here’s all you need to know. The NY Mets, who you imply suck that bad and have no better alternatives than Francoeur for the OF anyway, STILL traded him.
That tells you all you need to know about Francoeur’s skill set as a ML ball player.
He’s merely a 5th outfielder for the Rangers though. And if he sucks bigtime and cries about his lack of playing time then he’ll get released w/o a second thought. Purely a low risk, decent reward deal for the Rangers
It’s not like Francouer is the Rangers new starting RF. Nelson Cruz is back now…this move is probably meaningless over the long haul. As is most of the rest of the moves they’ve made (except for adding Lee)
More like 11th outfielder… For the Giants
DUDA DUDA DUDA!
I am a Braves fan, so believe me, I got as sick of seeing Frenchy in the lineup as anyone. And it’s true, he didn’t take it well at all when he was demoted to AAA for us (and we didn’t leave him there long enough).
He’s hardheaded and appears either not to listen, or not to be able to implement any hitting instruction.
BUT, he’s not worthless. He’s hitting .278 against lefties, which is not great, but not worthless, and last season he hit .344/.356/.521 against lefties and his career he’s hit .296/.342/.478 against lefties.
Against righties he’s basically worse than worthless. But against lefties he can be pretty good.
If he can accept his role he’ll be a good role player, if not exactly a good player.
Right but the thing is he doesn’t realize he’s a platoon player. The guy has the Willie Bloomquist syndrome, thinking he’s a guy worthy of getting full playing time. It’s what sealed his fate in ATL and in NYC
He’s unbelievably stubborn, he’s refused to even try to correct any of the flaws in his game, he’s a bad presence in the clubhouse when things aren’t going in his way.
As a Mets fan, I’m honestly stunned the Rangers wanted him.
I now wonder… how many batters have improved under terry pendleton or howard johnson on the major league level?
I’d say Prado and McCann haven’t done badly. Infante, too, even if he’s a one-year wonder. Plus, the Braves are second in the NL in runs scored this season … with this roster. I’m not convinced a hitting coach, in isolation, makes that much difference anyway. Unless your entire organization is nuts (like KC, where they apparently don’t believe in working counts, etc.)
Good move by the Mets. They found themselves a backup infielder for 2011 making under $500,000, and more importantly, shed themselves of a guy Minaya would be tempted to tender a contract. I couldn’t be more pleased.
I don’t like the trade. Not because I know anything about Jeff Francoeur, but I liked Joaquin Arias and felt like he got kind of a raw deal especially in this whole A.D.D. way that the powers of the Rangers organization are watching their players perform. Did you hit today? No errors? Ok…you stay on the roster tomorrow. Oops, you had an error and went 0-4 today after going 45-45 before today…you are demoted to AAA or traded.
I think Arias has good tools and a decent bat. Yes, he makes mental errors, but then when he only gets to play spot duty… He plays a good defensive middle infield at 2B. He has great reach. I think he needs to bulk up a bit and get some regular work. If he sticks with the Mets, they will see good things from him if given a real shot next spring.
Agreed. Texas has had Kennedy, Young, and Kinsler at 2B the past few years, and he really has not had a real opportunity. While Arias is not a star, he can be an upgrade over Castillo at a cheaper price.