Philadelphia Phillies: Possible Maikel Franco Trade Destinations
By Tim Boyle
After another down year, Maikel Franco is on the winter trade block. If the Philadelphia Phillies trade Franco, where could he end up?
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has not followed up on his impressive half-season in 2015. In the two years since Franco has declined to the point where the Phillies could trade him this offseason. At only 25-years-old, plenty of teams should have interest in the young, power-hitting third baseman.
During the lean years in Philadelphia, Franco mashed at the minor league level. The performance put him on the radar as a potential core member of the next generation of Phillies players. When he received regular playing time in 2014, Franco showed a ton of potential.
Franco’s rookie year spanned 335 plate appearances over 80 games. He slashed .280/.343/.497 while mashing 14 home runs. He was a lighter version of Rhys Hoskins and someone Phillies fans were excited to see more from.
In 2016, the sophomore slump kicked in. His first full season ended with a less impressive .255/.306/.427 slash line and 25 home runs in 630 trips to the plate. The attention put on Franco in 2015 shifted to first baseman Tommy Joseph. Of course, Joseph also experienced his own fall from grace in 2017 with Hoskins taking over those accolades.
The 2017 season has been even worse for Franco. Barring a miracle, he won’t hit .250 and his OBP will finish below .300. Franco has also grounded into 21 double plays this season resulting in far more killed rallies than he did last year when he was doubled up 13 times.
With J.P. Crawford, Scott Kingery, and others knocking on the big league door ready to usurp any positions they can, time is limited for Franco. A change of scenery might be the only thing to save his career. This begins with a trade to any of these destinations.