Phillies Non-Tender Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez Before Deadline
By Michael Luciano
The Philadelphia Phillies are going to look radically different in 2020, as their infield is about to get a major facelift.
Both third baseman Maikel Franco and infielder Cesar Hernandez were non-tendered, meaning they will hit the free agent market.
Two of the biggest names non-tendered: Maikel Franco and César Hernández with the Phillies. Franco being non-tendered was the worst-kept secret in baseball. Hernández should have a good market, but his arbitration number was going to be eight figures, too rich for this 2B market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 3, 2019
Franco was expected, as he was demoted to Triple-A after an inconsistent start to the season. Franco put up a WAR of -0.8 this season, as his .234 average was far too low to make up for the fact he managed just 17 home runs on the year and played subpar defense.
Hernandez is a bit of a surprise. Hernandez hit .277 in his seven-year stint in Philadelphia, and he missed just two games in the last two seasons. The Phillies must have something up their sleeve if they released Hernandez, perhaps moving Scott Kingery to second base full time.
The #Phillies do not offer contracts to Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco before tonight’s 8 p.m. deadline. Both are free agents.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) December 3, 2019
Joe Girardi appears to be orchestrating a full-on roster purge as he remakes this squad in his image, and a light-hitting middle infielder and inconsistent power threat were apparently considered dead weight.