The Toronto Blue Jays made two additions Friday, claiming outfielder Andy Dirks on waivers from the Detroit Tigers and signing Canadian left-hander Jeff Francis to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.
Dirks appeared in only 14 games in the minor leagues last season, as he was recovering from back surgery that took place in March. The left-handed hitter has a lifetime batting line of .276/.332/.413 and 24 home runs in 297 career games with the Tigers.
Dirks’ best season came in 2012, when he batted .322 with an .857 OPS and eight home runs in 88 games. His production fell off the following year, when he hit .256 and posted a .686 OPS with nine home runs in 131 games. Then he underwent surgery on his lower back in March of 2014 after dealing with back pain for an extended period.
The 28-year-old has experience at all three outfield positions, so he provides the Blue Jays with some insurance should Melky Cabrera sign elsewhere as a free agent. Still, given that Dirks missed most of the 2014 season, he doesn’t provide much certainty for a team that’s also poised to see Colby Rasmus depart as a free agent. He joins Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar, John Mayberry Jr. and Dalton Pompey as a candidate for playing time in left and centre.
Dirks will be arbitration eligible this off-season, when he’s projected to earn $1.63 million, according to Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors. He’ll remain under team control through 2017 should the Blue Jays choose to keep him beyond 2015.
Francis, 33, rose to prominence with the Rockies after Colorado selected him in the first round of the 2002 draft (ninth overall). By 2006, Francis had become a key member of the Rockies’ rotation and he went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA for the 2007 team that won the NL pennant. However, he has not posted an ERA below 4.82 since ’07.
The Vancouver, British Columbia native pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees in 2014, combining for a 5.85 ERA in 20 innings. While Francis doesn’t have a spot in the Blue Jays’ current projected starting rotation, he could provide depth at triple-A or in long relief.
