Francis had some pretty good stretches last season. At the beginning of the season, I thought there was a good chance he’d get a rotation spot at some point. He seems to have a little less on his fastball than last season but his splitter looks like a heck of a weapon.
If he can be a 5th starter who can give the team 5+ innings with 3 ER or less, that is huge. If he is more, that is monumental.
Having a solidified 5th starter would allow them to spend small on bargain bin depth options rather than the amount a solid 5th start would command, that is another bunch they can spend on getting two bats. They’ll also have Jake Bloss (who until yesterday was pitching well for the Bisons) for pitching depth as well.
They can get potentially get Manoah back in late July/August 2025. Tiedemann is likely a total lost cause for next season but some folks think Trey Yesavage could be an option late 2025.
Other than Vlad becoming Vlad, Francis’ step forward is probably the best possible development of this pretty rough season.
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