Five questions the Phillies need to answer this offseason
By John Town
Is it time to move on from Maikel Franco?
It’s hard to call Maikel Franco anything other than a disappointment this season. He took a step back in nearly every major offensive statistic compared to last year, which was already considered a disappointment by most. His -0.5 fWAR was the worst among all qualified third baseman and seventh-worst in all of baseball this season. Franco did cut down on his strikeouts and boost his walk total slightly, but it was not nearly enough to compensate for all the areas in which he struggled in this year.
The question now needs to be asked: is it time to move on from Franco? He has not shown any sustained runs of success in the last two years that would indicate he can bounce back, and now the Phillies actually have someone to replace him.
When J.P. Crafword came up to the majors this year, he immediately took over for Franco at third base. When Crawford played at other positions, Franco got back in the lineup again, but Crawford started more games at third than second and shortstop combined. It seems like the club likes Crawford at third, and that could be where he winds up next year.
Plus, it almost seems like a given that Philadelphia will pursue Manny Machado in free agency after the 2018 season. They have more than enough money to pay him and he would fill a gaping void in production at third base.
If the team decides to give Franco one more chance to show he’s worth something in 2018, that could cause a butterfly effect in Philadelphia’s complicated infield situation, leading right into the next question.