Rockies Re-Sign Jeff Francis

According to this tweet from Jerry Crasnick, the Rockies have resigned veteran lefty Jeff Francis to a one year contract pending a physical. The deal includes a base salary worth $1.5 million but incentives could push the contract's value to $3 million by season's end.

The 31 year old led the Rockies in innings pitched last season despite only making 24 starts and posting a rather hideous 5.58 ERA. Fonder memories of him in a Rockies uniform came in his first stint with the club including the 34 starts he made in 2007 which helped lead Colorado to the World Series. Unfortunately, Francis has not been the same player since the shoulder surgery that wiped out his 2009 season. Last year, his average fastball velocity was only 85.1 miles per hour.

Despite these numbers, Francis will compete for a spot in the Rockies rotation and will likely start the season there if the young arms on the roster don’t show signs of growth this spring.