Jeff Francoeur is a Perfect Match for the Mets

Ever since moving into their new digs this April, the New York Mets have been stuck in no man's land.

The outfit is built on slugging power, but lacks the necessary muscle to blast the ball beyond its mammoth home field dimensions. Citi Field's massive outfield and treacherous warning track are beautiful architecture, but the Amazins lack the necessary defensive setup to cover the gaps and hug the foul lines.

Of course, there are more issues than Citi Field to blame for the Mets woes this season. Landing three of your top four positional players, along with two starters and the eighth-inning setup man on the disabled list doesn't leave a lot to work with. Defense has been a joke, and pitching has been even worse. But more than anything, it's been an anemic offense lacking any semblance of power that has led to an 11-20 record since June 10.

The imperfect match between the Mets and their new ballpark has led to a .391 team slugging percentage, tied for third-worst in the Majors. It's perhaps the biggest proponent that's dropped a team meant to be a top contender for the NL pennant to a 42-45 record and 6.5-game deficit in the East at the All-Star break.

With the first half winding down, and cursed with a roster seemingly doomed for failure, general manager Omar Minaya faced two options for getting back into the divisional and wild card races. Either the Mets get younger, faster and dedicate themselves to small ball, or they make a trade to acquire more power. The only question was which path Minaya would take.

We got our answer Friday.

When the Mets swapped right fielders with the Atlanta Braves - trading Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur - it wasn't a blockbuster, stop-the-presses type of deal. Neither is an All-Star, or anywhere close. The two players' numbers are essentially equal, and it's difficult for even myself - as an avid Mets fan - to give the advantage to either team (although, Francoeur's edge in power, youth and defense has me excited).

This trade does show Minaya's commitment to maintaining the blueprint he used to build this team. The Mets will continue trying to out muscle their opponent rather than outsmart them. They're stick with power ball. Small ball be damned.

I enjoyed rooting for Church during his one-and-a-half seasons in Queens. He had a solid 2008 campaign with a .276 batting average, 49 RBI, 54 runs and 12 home runs. But when the Mets moved into Citi Field this year, Church left his usefulness at Shea Stadium.

Francoeur has been an absolute enigma in his four full major league seasons. He's two years removed from being declared "The Natural" on the cover of Sports Illustrated. His first two full seasons with the Braves were a thing a beauty, hitting .277 with 208 RBI, 48 home runs and 167 runs scored. Francoeur was expected to ignite into full-fledged stardom.

Instead, his numbers fell off the face of the earth in 2008. He was sent to the minors for one month last season, and even though his numbers are better this season, he's a carcass of his former talent. I talked with my best friend (who in this sick and twisted world happens to be a huge Braves fan) to get a perspective on Francoeur. After the conversation, I'm convinced Francoeur had grown stale in his hometown of Atlanta and desperately needed a fresh start.

Whether Francoeur ever recaptures his former production is yet to be seen. Regardless, he's a much better fit to play in the Mets' massive outfield. We all know how good his defense is. His arm is a cannon, his glove is a net and his range is impressive at least. At the plate, Francoeur is having a power outage compared to his production a couple years ago, but he still has more home runs and RBI this season than Church. And at the age of 25 (five years younger than Church), his game has a much higher ceiling.

Adding Francoeur isn't the same as adding closer Francisco Rodriguez this past offseason or ace Johan Santana the offseason before. But the Mets didn't need a blockbuster, stop-the-presses deal. They demanded a corner outfielder that fit Citi Field's dimensions better. And that's just what Minaya got.