Royals non-tender Franco

The Kansas City Royals non-tendered Maikel Franco on Wednesday, making the third baseman a free agent, the team announced.

The 28-year-old was entering his final year of arbitration eligibility while projected to earn between $4.5 million and $8 million in 2021, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Franco hit .278/.321/.457 with eight homers and one steal while appearing in all 60 games for the Royals last year.

The 2020 campaign marked Franco's first season with Kansas City and away from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Over his seven-year career, he's authored a .252/.304/.433 slash line while hitting nine percentage points worse than the league average in 716 games played, according to wRC+. As a relatively average defender at the hot corner, Franco has accrued 4.8 career WAR, according to FanGraphs.