Report: Phillies Drawing Interest on Franco

We have repeatedly discussed that current Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco may be running out of time in Philadelphia.  The Phillies are also reportedly hunting for a new third baseman to give the club a boost as they look towards a playoff run.  But what does that mean for the third baseman, who has some talent but remains inconsistent?

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the San Diego Padres have interest in acquiring Franco from the Phillies.

Rosenthal notes that the Phillies could be interested in some of San Diego's relievers, including left-handed closer Brad Hand, though it would cost more than Franco to acquire one of them.  Rosenthal also mentions that the Phillies would need to of course find another third baseman before letting Franco go.

The Phillies gave the third base job to shortstop J.P. Crawford and the shortstop job to second baseman Scott Kingery in response to Franco's inconsistent play.  Since Crawford was placed on the disabled list, Franco has gotten most of the action, though even Jesmuel Valentin has started ahead of Franco at times.

Some of the names linked to the Phillies so far include Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado.