Phillies: Comparing Mike Moustakas to Maikel Franco
By Sean Resch
Decision
It is clear that Mike Moustakas, at this moment, is a better overall MLB third baseman than Maikel Franco. That is not to say that Franco’s career could not still be on the upswing, as he is only 25 years old in his fifth major-league season. The common thought is that baseball players are really in their prime at 26, so we have probably not seen his best.
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If the Phillies really do not see Franco as part of their future, then trading him away for any value can be looked as a positive. If they do not trade him and they acquire Moustakas from the Royals, then it is likely that Maikel will be seeing the bench anyway.
Moustakas is playing on a one-year, $6.5 million deal right now, not that money matters too much. The point being, they would not have to give up too much value in the form of prospects.
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If the Phillies decide they do not want to pursue the big-name third baseman before the deadline, such as Manny Machado or Adrian Beltre, then Moustakas makes a ton of sense. He would likely be a cheap rental unless he far out-performs expectations in a Phillies uniform.