It didn’t take long for the New York Yankees to acquire much-needed pitching help.
One day after right-hander Masahiro Tanaka learned he had a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and possibly could need Tommy John surgery, New York traded for Oakland Athletics pitcher Jeff Francis for a player to be named later.
Francis was recently designated for assignment by the A’s after compiling a 5.89 ERA in just 18 innings of work. The 33-year-old pitcher had his best season in 2007 with the Colorado Rockies, winning 17 games while posting a 4.22 ERA at Coors Field. It was the second-best ERA of his career.
Francis, the No. 9 pick in the 2002 MLB draft, showed promise early in his career, but shoulder injuries hindered his progress.
Though Francis might not be the best pitcher the Yankees could have acquired, he does give the team a bit of flexibility. Already without CC Sabathia, New York’s pitching staff was put in a precarious position with the loss of Tanaka. Francis either can fill a void in the starting rotation or take a swing spot out of the bullpen.
The Yankees also recalled reliever Matt Daley and designated Jim Miller for assignment. Miller allowed six runs in just 2 2/3 innings this year.
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