MLB Rumors: San Francisco Giants Sign Jeff Francoeur
By Bryan Rose
Because when you’ve lost 30 out of your last 41 games, you sign players hitting just about .200, right?
That’s the case for the World Champion San Francisco Giants, who signed the nine year MLB veteran this morning.
Per Ken Rosenthal:
"Francouer, 29, was designated for assignment for the Kansas City Royals on June 30 and released Sunday. The Royals will be responsible for nearly all of the remainder of his $6.75 million salary, with the Giants paying him only a pro-rated portion of the major-league minimum."
After losing center fielder Angel Pagan for the season due to hamstring surgery, the Giants have been searching for a replacement but after a woeful skid that took them from just a half game out of first place to now 6.5 (should be much more if the entire division, outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers, wasn’t slipping).
The Giants have long rumored to be interested in Francoeur, even dating back to previous seasons but his hefty salary always made a move impossible. Now all but free, the Giants felt it was a good time to strike.
Two years removed from a .285, 22 home run, 87 RBI season, the Giants are hopeful Francouer can get hot and play the role of the former exiled Pat Burrell, who helped lift the Giants to a 2010 World Series Championship after he was released by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Good luck with that.