Jeff Francoeur Requests Trade
Two days after Fernando Martinez was promoted to — presumably — take playing time away from Jeff Francoeur, Francoeur’s representatives have let the Mets know he is open to a trade.
From Andy McCullough’s article in the Star-Ledger:
“We want to play every day,” Francoeur’s agent Molly Fletcher said yesterday. “We prefer to play in New York. But if we’re not going to play every day in New York, we absolutely welcome the opportunity to play every day somewhere else.”
As much as I like Francoeur, he’s in no position to request a trade. In fact, I’m not even sure he’s in a position to request room service. His current, horrendous slump has put him in this predicament. Two game-winning homeruns are not enough to negate 15 hits in his last 88 at-bats.
I doubt anyone is banging down the Mets’ door begging for Francoeur, and his request for a trade makes it that much more difficult for the team to get anything of value in return. If he and his agents were smart they would keep quiet and wait to be non-tendered in the offseason — at which point Francoeur will have the opportunity to market his wares to 29 other teams.
You couldn’t be more wrong. He wants the opportunity to play so he can showcase himself for a better deal next year. If he hardly plays, it’s less likely that he would go on a hitting streak. If he plays, he may break out.
Keeping quiet is definitely NOT smart, if “smart” means looking out for himself.