Phillies rumor: Club interested in Mike Moustakas, if they trade Maikel Franco
A new Phillies rumor has sparked intrigue regarding both trade and free agent talks
After a long day with Phillies rumor after Phillies rumor on Tuesday, the team has once again been linked to a big free agent bat.
Jon Heyman of Fancred reported Wednesday evening that the Phillies are interested in free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas IF Maikel Franco is traded.
There’s a lot to take from that tweet, so let’s start with Franco being a trade candidate. That news isn’t a major surprise, but there hadn’t been much news regarding that possibility.
Jim Salisbury of NBCS Philadelphia reported early in the offseason that it’s highly likely Franco gets traded.
We’ve looked at potential trades involving Franco this offseason, including one with the Kansas City Royals.
This is the first we’ve heard of a Franco trade rumor in months, and when there’s smoke, there’s probably some fire.
If the Phillies can get that trade done it likely means they’re either confident they can convince Manny Machado to play third or that they can acquire Moustakas.
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The word around Phillies twitter is that they want a power-hitting lefty, which causes most fans to look at Bryce Harper. Right now the Phillies lineup is very right-handed heavy with Nick Williams and Odubel Herrera being the only pure lefties in the lineup. Cesar Hernandez is a switch-hitter, but his future has been in flux this offseason.
Moustakas could bring some balance to the lineup if Franco is traded and Philadelphia doesn’t pick up Harper.
Moustakas was on the Phillies radar last summer at the trade deadline, so it makes sense that they have interest in him this offseason. Like most moves, the addition of Moustakas hangs on a lot of other things coming together for multiple teams.