The Atlanta Braves finally cut ties with the once-thought-of face of the franchise Jeff Francoeur last night. The Braves sent the rightfielder to the division rival New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Ryan Church. Church is considered to have an above-average arm and will hit from the left side of the plate. Church played mostly rightfield before Mets CF Carlos Beltran went down with an injury and Church shifted to center.
After a promising start to his career in 2005 and 29 home runs in his first full season in 2006, Francoeur has slowly seen his power numbers decline with a trip to the minors last season and a recent benching with Atlanta this season. Francoeur's numbers thus far this season are well below expectations as he has struggled to hit just .250 with 5 home runs and 35 RBI. Church meanwhile has hit .280 with two home runs and 22 RBI. The Braves will also send the Mets over $200,000 to even out salaries between the two players. The Braves and Mets open up the second half of the season next Thursday at Turner Field.
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