Julio Franco is now a Brave and, if the Lower Hudson Journal News is to be believed, his former Mets teammates couldn’t be happier.

From LoHud:

However, what irked some players was Franco wouldn’t hesitate to get in the face of some of the younger players about doing their jobs when he was hitting .200 with one homer with the Mets.

“To be a leader for me, it’s not enough to talk all the time,” [Jose] Valentin said. “You have to go out and do it yourself.”

This is pretty surprising stuff. I’d never before heard anybody willing to say anything bad about Franco, but here is Valentin saying the old-timer wasn’t a great teammate (he didn’t participate in team stretching drills), while manager Willie Randolph says Franco’s contributions to the clubhouse were “overrated.”

Meanwhile, over in the AL, writers are clamoring for the Rangers to trade all-star 1B Mark Teixeira because, well, he’s a jerk.

Here’s what Dallas Morning-News writer Jean Jacques Taylor had to say about the team’s star slugger:

A few months ago, I would’ve considered the notion of trading Teixeira ridiculous because of the 27-year-old’s prodigious talent. You simply don’t get rid of 30-homer, 100-RBI players with Hall of Fame potential.

I’ve changed my mind.

It’s Teixeira’s fault because he’s a chronic complainer.

Think about it. He didn’t like playing for Buck Showalter. Now, he doesn’t like playing for Ron Washington. Those guys couldn’t be more different in their approaches.

That tells me Teixeira or his agent, Scott Boras, is the problem.

Taylor says that people around the Rangers organization will tell you that Teixeira is “the kind of guy who would complain about the greens at Augusta National or paying taxes after winning the lottery” and says Teixeira has to go — “the sooner, the better.”Here’s my take: I think it’s possible that Franco may have tried to overcompensate for a lack of hitting by being an extra good clubhouse leader, and it blew up in his face. As LoHud points out, it’s hard for people to take your advice seriously when you’re hitting below your weight.

Texeira, on the other hand, just sounds like a jerk. It should be clear by now that MLB clubhouses are overrun by arrogant, ignorant idiots. So for one guy to be so much of an ass that his team is inclined to trade him really says something. The fact that Texas has shown a willingness to trade such a young, accomplished hitter shows that he must be a first class pain.

TBS is reporting that the Braves inked Julio Franco to a contract for the rest of the season on Wednesday afternoon. Franco struggled with the Mets earlier this season, batting a mere .200 in 50 at-bats. Regardless, as a Braves fan, I’m ecstatic to have Julio back in Atlanta. He is a devoted athlete that brings a charismatic, positive personality to the clubhouse. He is a team-player and a professional hitter. Those are just some of the reasons that I’m happy to have Julio back. Here are a few of the more uncommon reasons:

5. It’s refreshing to have someone slower than Brian McCann back on the team.

4. It will be amusing to hear Bobby Cox yell “Come on kid!” to a 48 year-old.

3. There’s a chance that Julio will revert back to his ’80s doo, giving Chipper some fresh ideas for his unfortunate facial hair.

2. When the lights go out at Turner Field like they did Monday night, the Braves can simply put Franco’s birthday cake in center field and let the candles do the work.

1. Bobby will never have to use Chris Woodward as a pinch-hitter ever, ever again.

Welcome back Julio.

Today has been a day of highs and lows, my friends. First, I learn that the Mets added Rickey Henderson to the coaching staff (in case you were wondering, this was the high). The low? The Mets designated Julio Franco for assignment. That’s right. It’s a geriatric caroussel.

When looked at objectively, this should not have come as a surprise. The soon-to-be 49 year-old Franco has been reduced to an occassional pinch-hitting role in 2007. He’s gotten only 50 at-bats so far this season and merely ten hits. The man is actually slugging .260 for god’s sake with a .588 OPS. Attentive Met fans took note that during the game against the A’s on June 24th, Shawn Green had started at first base in lieu of regular Carlos Delgado. Knowing that Julio Franco had not played in any game for four straight days (and only having made a pinch-hitting appearance the day before that), questions arose as to what Franco’s role on the team was. He was batting near the Mendoza line and he couldn’t be counted on to spell the regular first baseman on his day off.

Of course, there is a great deal of sentimentality involved when you talk about a player like Julio Franco. He is the true journeyman, having played in the U.S., Japan, Mexico, and South Korea. How many of us would have been willing to continue on in such fashion when most others had already deemed you to be washed up? But Franco kept playing and in September of 2001, the Atlanta Braves decided to take a shot on him and he ended up turning some heads en route to a .300 AVG in 90 ABs.

Franco has already said that he does not intend to retire - he has previously stated that he would like to play into his fifties. The stat-head in me thinks it’s a bad idea. But the baseball fan in me remembers emulating his iconic batting stance as a seven-year-old and wants Franco to keep going. And to dropkick the stat-head from behind.

I don’t know. What do you guys think? Should he call it a career? If not, would you want him on your team?