The Boston Red Sox are known to be in the market for an outfield bat, at least if you believe the rumors that they’re in the mix of several teams for Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran. But FOX Sports Jon Paul Morosi is reporting that Boston might be looking to Kansas City to fill that need if Beltran is going to refuse to leave the National League via his no-trade clause.
Morosi writes, “The Red Sox have inquired about Francoeur’s availability, multiple sources told FOXSports.com; one person briefed on the discussions said they were of an "exploratory" nature. The Royals have a mutual option on Francoeur for next season, so they are under no pressure to move him.”
The mutual option is one of a few reasons why Francoeur is likely to stay. Dayton Moore is rather fond of Francoeur, and the outfielder has expressed a desire to stay in Kansas City. His power bat plays well in the line-up and his veteran leadership has been praised in the clubhouse. With a cheap contract, he seems the least likely of KC’s outfielders to go.
On the other hand, and perhaps most importantly, Melky Cabrera is playing over his head right now and some team is bound to bite on adding Cabrera to the line-up. He continues to hit well all season long and has displayed solid gap power with 25 doubles and 12 home runs. One of them will be traded, but I’d expect it to be Cabrera instead of Francoeur if Dayton Moore can help it.