For two straight summers, Jeff Francoeur has been traded. With the Royals current record at 37-54 heading into the All-Star Break, Francoeur might as well get ready for a third summer in a row.
The reality facing Royals veterans is that Kansas City is in a prime position as a seller in the American League, as they sit in last place with not much hope to climb out. Dayton Moore has already gone on record saying he'll make a deal that helps the club moving forward, but that's as valuable as saying you or I plan on using oxygen today. Still, the Royals should be sellers and Francoeur would fit nicely with several teams with his power, defensive ability and ability to hit left-handed pitching.
Yet Francoeur insists he's not bothered by the trade talk. He recently told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel, "For me, I used to get on the websites and look at the trade rumor stuff and read it. I don't anymore. What's going to happen is going to happen. I've made it well known to Dayton and all these guys that I like it here and I want to be here, and I think I'm a good fit to help this team going forward, at least the next couple years."
Yet Moore doesn't have to feel any pressure to move Francoeur if he doesn't want to. If he likes Francoeur's presence in the clubhouse and in the line-up amidst rookies like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, Francoeur is quite affordable next year with a mutual option for 2012 for just $3 million -- a paltry amount for a starting outfielder with middle of the order power. Yet that might be the same reason a team might pony up the right player(s) to tempt Moore enough to move him. Either way, Moore is in the driver's seat.
Fans can certainly expect some veterans to be on the move -- whether fellow outfielder Melky Cabrera, who is a free agent after the season, or starter Jeff Francis or infielder Wilson Betemit. Francoeur would be the most traveled of all, but his focus seems to be in the right place either way.
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