Braves Steal From Mets, Clear and Simple

by Sky Kalkman on Jul 10, 2009 6:41 PM EDT in Transactions & Rumors Comment 46 comments

This will be the last full sentence of the article.

Fielding (Career UZR/150 in LF/CF/RF, CHONE RF 2009 Projection)

Jeff Francoeur: --/--/+8, -1 run
Ryan Church: +4/+1/+10, +5 runs

Hitting (OPS+, 2005 through 2009)

Jeff Francoeur: 126, 87, 103, 72, 68
Ryan Church: 118, 131, 114, 106, 88

Poll

Which was a worse trade?

The Mets acquisition of Jeff Francoeur

293 votes

The Royals acquisition of Yuniesky Betancourt

246 votes

539 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Speaking on behalf of all rational and intelligent Mets fans

F. M. L.

by Pat Andriola on Jul 10, 2009 6:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Speaking for M's fans

I love you Jack Z

MLB Notebook / StatSpeak / Baseball Daily Digest / Inside the Majors

by Zach Sanders on Jul 10, 2009 6:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Speaking for all A's, Rangers, and Angels fans

Go back to Milwaukee, Jack Z. Please. Before Doug Melvin hands out another Jeff Suppan contract.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

Free Travis Buck.

by Blicks on Jul 10, 2009 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Utterly and completely unacceptable.

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by Jack Moore on Jul 10, 2009 6:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Frank Wren’s office

Frank logs onto MLB.com, reads headline

"Royals trade for Mariners Betancourt"

Scratches head

"There’s a market for those types?"

"Hm, which GM would buy into…Omar!"

Calls Omar Minaya’s office

"Hey Omar, did you see Yuni Betancourt got dealt? Haha, yeah, you better jump on Francouer before I ship him to Moore too, don’t think I won’t Omar…what? Ryan Church? Sounds good."

by R.J. Anderson on Jul 10, 2009 7:00 PM EDT reply actions 8 recs

Ha.

Rec’d.

OverTheMonster - ALLERGEN WARNING: May contain peanut butter.

by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Jul 11, 2009 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rec'd in anger

I’ll get you R.J. I’ll get you good.

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.

by devil_fingers on Jul 11, 2009 2:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very nice.

by Brendan Scolari on Jul 11, 2009 7:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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.

via www.mlbtraderumors.com

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by Jack Moore on Jul 10, 2009 7:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's the Mets getting the cash. It was just clarified.

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.

Also MLBtr.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

Free Travis Buck.

by Blicks on Jul 10, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wouldn't have put it past Omar

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by Jack Moore on Jul 10, 2009 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

rec

Webmaster of Driveline Mechanics
http://www.drivelinemechanics.com - An Unconventional Look at Scouting

by Kyle Boddy on Jul 10, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How the jesus did Francoeur get that much in his first arb season?

Jack Cust got like half that… insane.

Linda's in the cold ground, won't see her anymore
Somewhere out on the highway tonight, the drunken engines roar
It's just one of those things, one of those things
-- Al Stewart, "Accident on 3rd St."
In memory of Nick Adenhart and all victims of drunk driving

by PaulThomas on Jul 12, 2009 4:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pure hilarity.

Two massive fail trades in one day. Absolutely ridiculous.

[I still think Betancourt is worse by a mild margin, simply because the ramifications of that deal could be a bit more long term. ]

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

Free Travis Buck.

by Blicks on Jul 10, 2009 7:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you here. More money, more years, and Yuni might be worse than Frenchy. Might.

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by Sky Kalkman on Jul 10, 2009 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm going to agree for a different reason.

There seems to be more SABR-friendly Royals fans than Mets fans, so this one’s going to get reviewed over and over.

OverTheMonster - ALLERGEN WARNING: May contain peanut butter.

by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Jul 11, 2009 1:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

450+ comments on RoyalsReview

confirms this statement.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showforum=129

by Warden11 on Jul 11, 2009 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm a Mets fan.

KILL ME KILL ME KILL ME

"I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf"
-Tug McGraw

by squid92 on Jul 10, 2009 7:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It is super close

But I think someone on Fangraphs put it perfectly:

It’s better only in the sense that the Mets only made themselves worse for this year, whereas the Royals both didn’t improve (and probably weakened) SS this year AND gave up future prospects to do it

Can’t wait for devil_fingers to post on my blog. For the record, he said this a few days ago:

Welcome to Washington, Alex Gordon and Billy Butler! It’s perfect — Washington gets to relieve their OF jam a bit and add to jams at 3B and 1B, and KC gets rid of two of those terrible players from the previous administration and completely their Ultimate ’03 Reds Outfield of Dunn, Freel, and Guillen.

I just wish Yuniesky Betancourt could be thrown in somehow.

Be careful what you wish for, indeed.

Webmaster of Driveline Mechanics
http://www.drivelinemechanics.com - An Unconventional Look at Scouting

by Kyle Boddy on Jul 10, 2009 7:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No this one makes the Mets way worse for the future

because Minaya is going to make Franceour a starting OFer no matter how crappy he plays

King of the bling come to lay down the evidence//Not George Bush, L-Millz be da president

by Sam Page on Jul 10, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are both Francoeur and Church FAs after this season?

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by Sky Kalkman on Jul 10, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no

I know Frenchy is arb-eligible, I think Church just had arb last year.

by Pat Andriola on Jul 10, 2009 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just woke up from a nap

so I’m still a little foggy. Took me a couple times to see these stories and realize I’m not dreaming. Then, I thought to myself. Wait, this has got to be April 1st. These are Fools Day baseball headlines. Nope. It is July, and I really am awake.

godfather of futureredbirds.net

by erik on Jul 10, 2009 7:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Challenge to baseball analysts:

Step up and put these trades in their place, or resign from your jobs.

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by Sky Kalkman on Jul 10, 2009 7:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Buster Olney, reacting to the trade live on SportsCenter

Brian Kenny: “We’re talking to Buster here live on SportsCenter, breaking news here in baseball, the Mets make a trade with the Braves, Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur, if I’m hearing that correctly.”
Buster Olney: “Wow!”
BK: “…there’s the shocking reaction. Wh-”
Olney: “Wow!”
BK: “Why would this trade be made exactly? Church, again, has come back from the concussion, playing fairly well; Francoeur, a guy who had a lot of potential… what’s with this trade?”
Olney: “Well certainly, um, Francoeur had fallen out of favor in Atlanta, the fact that he’s such a free-swinger, uh, in recent days he had been benched by Bobby Cox, they were trying to work him back in. And Ryan Church, uh, eh, em… he can be a productive player, but it seemed like he wasn’t Jerry Manuel’s favorite guy, there’s no question about that. On the face of it, you’d say, Boy, an in-division trade in which the Braves are getting a player, a left-handed hitter, who might be able to help them right away.”
BK: “Not what you’d expect, again, that’s why you’re sounding stunned.”
Olney: “I am stunned! I mean, a lot of people around baseball did not view Francoeur right now as being a guy who had a lot of value; in fact, who could possibly be a non-tender candidate in the offseason unless he really stepped it up and started to hit. And I think there are probably going to be questions about, as he tries to work through his issues with his swing, is New York the best place to have him right now?”

I had to make up some syllables there for Olney trying to transition to his thoughts on Church because he was literally flabbergasted. It was pretty awesome to see, actually.

Marlins Stadium: When It's Raining, The Roof Will Happen!

by dan 2.0 on Jul 10, 2009 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice, thanks.

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by Sky Kalkman on Jul 10, 2009 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Something else that came up on Sportscenter - Frenchy's a pretty decent batter against LHP, while Church isn't.

Maybe the Mets felt like they needed a better lineup to deal with lefties?

OverTheMonster - ALLERGEN WARNING: May contain peanut butter.

by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Jul 11, 2009 1:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unacceptable still!

He’s just plain worse!

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by Jack Moore on Jul 11, 2009 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd say Mets

It looks like the Mets just had a giveaway while at least the M’s doubled their return on warm bodies.

Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you? ◔ヮ◔
Uncommon Sportsman :: Absurdity in play

by Axion on Jul 10, 2009 8:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Brilliant

quote from Omar Minaya: “One thing we like about Francoeur is the amount of games that he plays.”

by yankee13man on Jul 10, 2009 9:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I will play every day for league minimum

Sign me up Omar!

by AxDxMx on Jul 12, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I

by Pat Andriola on Jul 10, 2009 9:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

whoops

I’m sorry, this isn’t even close.

The Mets swap pretty equal salaries and at least get a guy that’s done something before, is 25 years old, and give up an average right fielder.

The Royals give up two prospects to get a miserable shortstop, both offensively and defensively, who has a fat contract.

Minaya barely does better. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

by Pat Andriola on Jul 10, 2009 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ryan Church is not garbage

And is likely to produce more WAR than the prospects.

Yuni and Francoeur are garbage.

Braves win.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Jul 10, 2009 9:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In terms of comparing the trades

don’t we have to factor in the fact that the Mets could very possibly have thrown away a playoff spot with their trade? Eventually they’re going to get back Beltran and Reyes and seemingly a dozen other guys, and considering nobody in the division is playing great, there was at least the possibility of a late-season surge by the Mets (as shocking as that sounds considering recent history).

For KC, what had been looking somewhat promising really took a step back with their moves this past offseason, such that I think their bandwagon emptied and only the most optimistic of outlooks had them contending in the near future.

Obviously both teams made themselves worse, but the consequences seem much worse for the Mets.

Marlins Stadium: When It's Raining, The Roof Will Happen!

by dan 2.0 on Jul 10, 2009 10:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs