Mets Trade Jeff Francoeur To Rangers
ATLANTA (AP) -- The first-place Texas Rangers acquired outfielder Jeff Francoeur for their playoff push Tuesday night, just hours before the deadline for players to be eligible for the postseason roster.
The New York Mets traded Francoeur and cash to Texas for infielder Joaquin Arias, who was designated for assignment last week when Alex Cora was called up by the Rangers.
"I have an opportunity to go with a team that will be in the playoffs," Francoeur said. "I feel comfortable going out there."
The strong-armed Francoeur is hitting .237 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs and leads the NL with 11 outfield assists. Arias batted .276 in 50 games for the Rangers, including 22 starts. He had two stints on the disabled list.
Texas had been looking for a right-handed hitter to come off the bench for the final month of the season and its expected postseason appearance.
"He's another right-handed bat that we can get in the lineup against lefties," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "We needed another right-handed bat and he'll give us that so that we don't have to keep sending up left-handed bats against the lefties. And he's a guy we know will drive in runs."
The deal had to be completed by midnight Tuesday in order for Francoeur to be eligible for the Rangers' playoff roster. Texas has an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL West.
"I'm looking forward to it. I played with Frenchy in the WBC. He's a gamer. He always plays hard. He'll fit in well here," Rangers third baseman Michael Young said in Kansas City, where Texas lost 10-9 to the Royals.
In an interesting twist, the deal was completed while Francoeur was in Atlanta (he grew up in the suburbs) facing his original team, the Braves.
He looked like a hometown star during his first couple of seasons with the Braves, making the cover of Sports Illustrated as a rookie and twice driving in more than 100 runs.
But his production tailed off badly in 2008 and he was dealt to the Mets for little-used Ryan Church midway through last season. Francoeur had a promising half-season in New York, hitting .311 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs after the trade, but he slipped again at the plate this season and his playing time decreased despite his excellent defense in right field.
With the deadline approaching for playoff eligibility and the Mets out of contention, Francoeur was mentioned frequently in trade talk.
"Things happen for the best," he said. "It's been a tough couple of weeks for me. It just hasn't happened for me (with the Mets). People expect different things."
In addition to trading Francoeur, the Mets announced after a 9-2 loss to the Braves that two players, right-handed pitcher Jenrry Mejia and outfielder Lucas Duda, have been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.
Mejia made 30 relief appearances for the Mets this season, going 0-2 with a 3.25 ERA. Duda hit .304 with 23 homers and 87 RBIs splitting time between Double-A Binghamton and Buffalo.
Teams can expand their rosters on Wednesday for the final month of the regular season.
Statement from the Mets:
The New York Mets today announced they traded outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infielder Joaquin Arias.
Arias, 25, hit .276 (27-98) with five doubles, one triple, no home runs, 18 runs scored and nine RBI in 50 games for Texas this season. The 6-1, 165-pound righthand-hitting infielder made starts at second base (16), first base (five) and shortstop (one) this season for the Rangers, making two errors in 121 total chances (.983 fielding percentage). He landed on the 15-Day Disabled List twice with a lower back strain, first on April 30-May 16 and then again from July 31-August 16. He was designated for assignment on August 24.
A career .286 hitter, Arias originally signed a non-drafted free agent contract with the New York Yankees on July 12, 2001. The Rangers acquired him on March 23, 2004 as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees. Arias, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, made his major league debut on September 13, 2006 at Detroit, playing in 91 games for the Rangers over parts of four seasons.
Francoeur, 26, hit .237 (95-401) with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 43 runs scored and 54 RBI in 124 games for the Mets this season. Acquired from the Braves in exchange for Ryan Church on July 10, 2009, the 6-5, 220 pound Francoeur hit .268 (185-690) with 21 home runs and 95 RBI in 199 games with the Mets.
© 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
