Braves dispel Francoeur trade rumor

Las Vegas — A juicy rumor that Jeff Francoeur could be traded to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Zack Greinke made the rounds early Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.

One problem: The deal apparently was never discussed by the people in position to make it happen.

Braves general manager Frank Wren and Royals GM Dayton Moore said they’ve never talked about a Francoeur trade.

Moore told the Kansas City Star the rumor was bogus and that he hasn’t spoken to Wren about Francoeur. Asked about Moore’s statement, Wren said: “It’s accurate — we’ve never had the discussion.”

The Braves’ top priority is acquiring an elite starter, and they remain hopeful that free agent A.J. Burnett will sign with them over the New York Yankees and other suitors. Burnett doesn’t expect to decide during the Winter Meetings.

Greinke, 25, went 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 202-1/3 innings in 2008, finally beginning to realize his vast potential after problems battling depression and social anxiety earlier in his career.

The Braves inquired, but Royals aren’t looking to trade Greinke. It would take a rich package of young talent to get them to reconsider, probably shortstop Yunel Escobar and at least a couple of top prospects.

Atlanta continued its search for a top starter and an outfielder who’s a proven run-producer with power. Wren met with Burnett’s agent, who said Burnett wouldn’t necessarily wait for top-rated free agent CC Sabathia to sign first.

The Braves last week offered Burnett a four-year, $60 million contract with a fifth-year option. The Yankees, concerned they could be spurned by Sabathia, were expected to offer $64 million for four years to Burnett late Tuesday.

The Braves might add a fifth-year guarantee to their offer if they believe that would be the difference-maker in their pursuit of Burnett, an 18-game winner and American League strikeout leader in 2008.

“We like A.J. a lot,” Wren said. “We think he would be a real good fit for our club.”

Sabathia is the only free-agent pitcher certain to top Burnett’s salary. The big Milwaukee left-hander already got a six-year, $140 million offer from the Yankees and is fielding other offers this week.

Wren acknowledged the Braves have contingency plans in case they miss out on Burnett. The Braves asked Pittsburgh about left-hander Paul Maholm and center fielder Nate McLouth, but the Pirates are asking too much for either.

They’ve had negotiations with the Cardinals about outfielder Rick Ankiel, but the Braves turned down St. Louis’ request for closer Mike Gonzalez in return.

Meanwhile, the Francoeur-to-K.C. rumor keeps cropping up.

Moore is a former Braves assistant GM who was the club’s minor league director when Francoeur rose through the organization. He and Francoeur are friends.

“I understand why people would wonder about it in our market,” Moore told the Star. “We’ve obviously brought in a lot of Atlanta people and players from Atlanta. If anybody was in the same situation that I was in, they would do the same thing because it’s information that you have.”

Around the Royals organization, it’s common knowledge Moore still believes strongly in Francoeur after the right fielder’s struggles in 2008. He hit .239 with 11 homers, 71 RBIs and a .294 on-base percentgage in his third full season.

“I can understand why people would speculate,” Moore said. “Jeff is coming off a bad year, and they need pitching.”