Multiple Teams Interested In Nick Franklin
By Mark Polishuk [December 19 at 9:14pm CST]
The Mariners have a "strong" trade market for
Nick Franklin, as several teams have shown interest in the young second baseman, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi report (Twitter link). Franklin went from being Seattle's second baseman of the future to an obvious trade candidate following the team's signing of Robinson Cano, and given his pedigree, it's no surprise that teams are looking to acquire a promising, controllable talent.
Franklin, 22, was taken by the Mariners with the 27th overall pick of the 2009 draft and he entered the season ranked as the 47th-best prospect in the game by MLB.com and as the 79th-best by Baseball America. The 2013 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked Franklin as the fifth-best prospect in Seattle's system, saying "he profiles as a solid regular who could play in a few All-Star Games." Franklin hit .287/.360/.459 with 46 homers and 63 steals (out of 81 chances) over 1756 minor league PA, and then hit .225/.303/.382 with 12 homers in 412 PA with the Mariners in 2013, his first taste of Major League action.
Since Franklin has a lot of minor league experience at shortstop, the M's could also make him Cano's double play partner and shop incumbent shortstop Brad Miller instead. Miller, however, actually outhit Franklin in both the majors and the minors and (while he isn't a great defender) is better suited to shortstop than Franklin, so Miller could have more value to the Mariners going forward.
With Cano, Omar Infante and even secondary options like Kelly Johnson, Mark Ellis and Brian Roberts off the board, teams looking for second base help have precious little left on the free agent market. The Blue Jays stand out as a would-be contender with a hole at second base, while teams like the Braves and Mets could have a need for a promising young second baseman if they move their current keystone position stalwarts
(Dan Uggla and Daniel Murphy, respectively) who have been rumored to be on the trade market themselves.