While we have no idea how closely the Yankees were pursuing Jeff Francis, he’s apparently going to sign a one-year deal with the Royals. I took a look at Francis a month ago and concluded that he’d probably be a worthwhile gamble for the back end of the rotation, and I have to say I’m a bit disappointed the Yankees didn’t end up taking a flier on him.
Who knows, maybe Francis liked his chances of pitching well enough to end up fronting Kansas City’s patchwork rotation — given that his primary competition is Kyle Davis and Luke Hochevar, this would appear to be eminently feasible. I also haven’t seen a dollar amount tied to this deal yet, so perhaps the Yanks felt it was too cost-prohibitive, but after giving Rafael Soriano eleventy billion dollars to pitch the eighth inning, it seems pretty ridiculous that the Yankees would’ve cried foul over price.
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Royals got him for $2M, plus $2M in additional incentives. The Royals provide Jeff with the best opportunity, considering if he can demonstrate he's past his injury troubles and pitch well, he'll find himself traded to a contender anyway.
Ah, thank you for the info. Definitely makes sense opportunity-wise, and the money seems about right. I'd concluded last month that Francis was probably worth about $5 million, so it looks the Royals ended up getting a good deal.