Braves Send Jeff Francoeur To Marlins In Three-Team Trade With Rangers

The Atlanta Braves traded veteran Jeff Francoeur to the Miami Marlins in a three-team deal Wednesday night that saw Texas Rangers minor leaguer Dylan Moore and Marlins minor league catcher Matt Foley come to Atlanta.

Braves Send Jeff Francoeur To Marlins In Three-Team Trade With Rangers

As part of the trade, the Braves will send the Marlins $104,959 to help offset Francoeur’s contract. The Rangers obtained two international signing slots from Miami and one from Atlanta.

Any big league player traded after Aug. 1 has to be first put on waivers.

Braves interim manager Brian Snitker admitted how big the loss Francoeur will be for the team. Snitker has known the 32-year-old right fielder since managing him on Atlanta’s Double-A Greenville team in 2004.

“It’s just hard,” Snitker said. “It seems like yesterday when I called him in and sent him to the big leagues the first time (from Double-A Mississippi in 2005). And I had the privilege of managing him here, which I’ll cherish. Because he’s a great kid. He’s one of the finest human beings I’ve ever been around, and just a great teammate.”

Francouer became eligible to be traded when he passed through revocable waivers earlier this month.

He is hitting just .249/.290/.381 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 276 plate appearances this season. The 12-year veteran will now help man right field in Miami, where Giancarlo Stanton remains on the disabled list with a groin injury. The right-handed-hitting Francoeur will probably team up with left-handed-hitting Ichiro Suzuki.

Moore, 24, a shortstop who can also play second base, is hitting .263/.377/.440 with 14 home runs, 59 RBIs and 40 stolen bases in Single-A this year. He was selected by the Rangers as a seventh-round pick in the 2014 MLB draft out of Central Florida.

Foley, 22, hit .257 (9-for-35) with no extra-base hits, six walks and 11 strikeouts in 14 games in rookie league and short-season A-ball this season. He was a 40th-round pick in the 2015 draft out of Rhode Island College.

To fill Francoeur’s roster spot, the Braves are recalling first baseman/pinch-hitter Brandon Snyder from Triple-A.

In his return to the Braves this season, Francoeur hit .249 with seven homers and a 290 OBP in 99 games (276 plate appearances) in a position that started as a backup left fielder/pinch-hitting role, then turned into a starting role after left fielder Hector Olivera was suspended by the Braves.

Recently, Francoeur has been used for pinch-hitting and infrequent starts after the Braves traded Olivera for veteran outfielder Matt Kemp and moved Kemp into the every-day left-field role. Francoeur had only 26 at-bats in the Braves’ last 25 games before Wednesday.

Francoeur, a former Gold Glove winner, has hit .273 (33-for-121) with four home runs against lefties this season.

He was 7-for-32 (.219) with six walks and a .342 OBP as a pinch-hitter, and has proven himself as a strong leader over the years.

“He’s been great for our young kids and has been great on the field as well,” said Braves assistant general manager Billy Ryan. “Unfortunately, the circumstances of where we are as an organization, the Marlins are in contention, they’re going for it, so it was an opportunity for him to get some meaningful at-bats and hopefully get in the postseason.”

Francoeur will be eligible for the Marlins’ postseason roster if they reach the playoffs.

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 04: Pinch hitter Jeff Francoeur #18 of the Atlanta Braves hits an RBI single in the seventh inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Turner Field on August 4, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)