The Reds 2018-19 international signing period could turn out to be some of the best bargain shopping any team has done in that market. It starts, of course, with getting star Elly De La Cruz for $65,000. They also got reliever Luis Mey for $50,000, and he touched the big leagues for the first time in 2025. Not far behind him is Franco, who received just $10,000 to join the Reds in October of 2018. It’s been a slow climb for the right-hander, spending two years in Single-A Daytona in 2021 and 2022 following the pandemic, then missing the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery. He’s taken a nice step forward in 2025, pitching very well during his first taste of Double-A and earning a bump up to Triple-A as a result.
From a pure stuff perspective, the 6-foot-2 Franco has an arsenal that gives him a chance to start. His fastball averages around 95 mph and tops out at 98 mph with decent spin and induced vertical break. He gets above-average spin on his 82-87 mph slider, which misses a good amount of bats, and he does a nice job of killing spin on his effective 86-90 mph changeup, giving him a third at least average offering.
Strong and physical, Franco provides strong presence on the mound. Whether he can land in the back end of a big league rotation will depend on his command and control, which regressed a bit in 2025. If starting doesn’t work out, his stuff could play well in a bullpen role.
