Jeff Francoeur Traded to the Mets

A couple years ago, Jeff Francoeur looked like a player on the verge of becoming a superstar with the Atlanta Braves. The home grown outfielder had 29 homers and 103 RBIs as a 22-year-old in 2006.

But now at 25, Francoeur has struggled for the last year and a half. On Friday, the Braves decided to go in a new direction. They traded Francoeur to the New York Mets for Ryan Church.

On the season, Francoeur is hitting .250 with five homers, 35 RBIs and 32 runs. After hitting 29 homers in 2006, his power numbers have dropped considerably. In 2007, he hit 19 homers. In 2008, it dropped to 11 home runs.

Church, like Francoeur, hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. The 30-year-old is hitting .280 with two homers, 22 RBIs and 26 runs. Considering that he has 12 homers, 49 RBIs and 54 runs last year in only 90 games, much more was expected from him this season.

With the Braves (41-44) and the Mets (40-45) both struggling in the NL East, this trade was made in hopes of adding a spark to their lineups before it is too late.