Phillies Have ‘Had Conversation’ on Beltre, Donaldson, Machado, Moustakas to Replace Franco

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The clock is ticking for Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco. Although the five-year veteran is receiving more steady playing time — with J.P. Crawford out for four-to-six weeks with a fractured left hand — it appears as though Franco is on his last leg in solidifying a role on the club for the rest of this season, and seasons to come.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden discussed Franco on MLB Network Radio's "Power Alley" Wednesday morning, and who the club might be targeting via trade if they decide to move on from the 25-year-old, Dominican Republic native.

"The Phillies made it very clear to me in the offseason that [the 2018 season] was going to be one last shot for [Maikel] Franco. He's got to either step it up, or they're going to move on," Bowden said. "Certainly, when you look at his on-base percentage at 28 percent — exactly what he did a year ago — he's hitting .240, .230 last year … he's hitting for power [and] going to hit his 24 or 25 [home runs] again …. but that's not good enough anymore."

Bowden cites four veterans the Phillies have been eyeing to replace Franco at the hot corner: future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre, soon-to-be free agent Manny Machado, 2015 Kansas City Royals World champion Mike Moustakas and Toronto Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldson.

"Jon Paul Morosi's report is out there on [Adrian] Beltre and it's absolutely true," Bowden said. "Understand, [the Phillies] have been in on [Manny] Machado, they've had a conversation on [Mike] Moustakas, they've had a conversation on [Josh] Donaldson, and they've had a conversation on [Adrian] Beltre."

Bowden cited three teams that could be eyeing to acquire a third baseman leading up to next month's non-waiver trade deadline, the Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. Bowden said the Braves are likely to stick with Johan Camargo, however, leaving only Philadephia and St. Louis as potential suitors in a crowded market.

"When it comes to third baseman, the inventory is so big you can't move them all because most contending teams have third base solved," Bowden said. "There's so many choices that [the Phillies] have, if Franco doesn't have a good month of July, he's either going to be on the bench, or he'll be included in the trade."

Franco is slashing .240/.284/.409 this season with nine home runs and 36 RBI in 63 games. In 465 games with the Phillies since 2014, Franco has 82 doubles, four triples, 72 home runs, 255 RBI, and is slashing .247/.298/.424. Approximately 37 percent of Franco's 425 career hits have gone for extra bases. The Phillies are 45-25 (.643) in games in which Franco has homered.