Earlier this week, we learned that several teams are in on former Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis. The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees are all said to have varying degrees of interest in the left-hander. A return to Colorado can’t be ruled out either as Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd says that the club will keep tabs on him.
Francis, of course, missed all of 2009 after undergoing shoulder surgery. In 2010 he turned in a 5.00 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 20 games as he was limited by his injury. However, his 3.94 xFIP indicates that he was better in that short span than the conventional stats indicate. The Rockies understandably declined their $7MM option for him this winter, but the budding market for Francis could bring the soon-to-be 30-year-old a solid payday.
