The New York Mets dove into the trading pool yesterday shipping outfielder Ryan Church to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Jeff Francour.  While normally you don’t see trades within the division (especially during the season), this is a classic change of scenery trade, but not a real upgrade for either team.

The Braves get an outfielder with a decent bat who is all hustle.  He give’s 110% on the field, covering a lot of ground in outfield and baserunning aggressiveness.  But over the past couple seasons has been unable to stay healthy.  In 2008 he missed half the season with concussion related injuries.  He collided with then teammate Marlon Anderson during a spring training game resulting in a Grade 2 concussion.  Then upon his return, he suffered a second concussion when his head met now teammate Yunel Escobar’s knee while sliding into second base.  This year, Church spent part of May & June on the DL (but what Mets regular hasn’t), with a hamstring injury.

The Mets get a player who many thought would be a perennial all-star, until pitchers realized he’s unable to make adjustments during the game.  After back to back seasons where he smacked a total of 48 home runs and drove in 208, Francour “lost his swagger” (yeah, I’m borrowing a phrase from Brett Myers).  Last season he hit a meager .238 while hitting 11 home runs and driving in 71.  He hasn’t faired much better this season as he has only 5 home runs and 35 RBI’s in 82 games.  Not all is bad.  Should he get the right pitch, he possesses tremendous power and he stays healthy (he’s never been on the disabled list – which could change once he encounters the Mets training staff).  He also has a good arm.  Sorry, not just an good arm, but the best right field arm in the National League (ever since Shane Victorino moved to center field).  So while he doesn’t have the range to collide with a second baseman, runners trying to score from second on a single to right field will be more hesitant.

How does this affect the Phillies?  It really doesn’t, except the Phillies won’t be able to take advantage of Gary Sheffield’s spaghetti arm when playing the Mets.  On the plus side, the speed of the Phillies won’t have to worry about taking an extra base on a gapper to right in Atlanta.

So who wins?  Push

There are pros and cons for each side.  Francour was in Bobby Cox’s dog house, and if not traded he was probably in line for a demotion to Gwinnett County (the Braves Triple A affiliate).  At 25 (yeah, it does seem like he’s been in the league forever), this gives Francour a fresh start and a new hitting coach (30/30 club member Howard Johnson), who hopefully turn his swing around.

Church now gains some stability knowing he’s the every day right fielder, not riding an outfield carousel based on who is injured.  Also moving to Atlanta might improve his power numbers some and defensively there’s less ground to cover at Turner Field then Citi Field.

In my opinion both outfielders aren’t quality everyday starters and would be better suited in a platoon-type role.  But who knows, change of scenery’s can work wonders.  Look what it did for Brad Lidge last year.  Both teams took a gamble (with the Mets taking the bigger one, but also with the potential for bigger results), and it certainly may pay off.

For the Mets fans who were hoping the front office was going to make a bigger splash (you’re not getting Roy Halladay), Omar Minaya has already sold you a bill of goods.

“This is a trade that’s not only for now, but for next year and beyond, because of the youth of the player and that what he does fits the ballpark.  This ballpark plays better for Francoeur because, even though Ryan Church is a good defensive player, Francoeur covers a lot of ground.  Base hits to right field — you just don’t run [on Francoeur].”

This is true Omar, but if your Gold Glove in right field can’t read an off-speed pitch, what good is a cannon of an arm?