UPDATE: Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal took to Twitter hours after his original reporting to backtrack on the Braves shopping Jeff Francoeur. Rosenthal writes that the Braves expect to hold on to Francoeur unless they are blown away by another team as a result of his team-friendly contract and clubhouse leadership.
With just over a week until the trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves are reportedly very open to dealing a number of players on their roster.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports shared via Twitter on Sunday that the Braves are "aggressively shopping" shortstop Erick Aybar and left fielder Jeff Francoeur along with left-handed relievers, citing a rival executive. ESPN's Jim Bowden wrote last week that it's unlikely the Braves will deal either starting pitcher Julio Teheran or first baseman Freddie Freeman, as they are pieces that the team hopes to build with both their strong farm system and payroll flexibility. Moving Aybar, Francoeur or members of the relief corps would allow the team to follow the plan of retaining and highlighting Teheran and Freeman. Aybar, 32, was traded to the Braves last November and has a .214 batting average, 17 RBIs, and a .277 OBP through 262 at-bats this season. He's scheduled to become a free agent after 2016. Francoeur, also 32, signed a one-year deal in February to return to Atlanta, where he started his big league career in 2005. He has a .247 batting average, 26 RBIs, and a .288 OBP through 223 at-bats this season.
