Only hours after tweeting that the Pirates are interested in bringing back former outfielder Nate McLouth, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports has another Buccos-related tidbit, this one reporting that former Rockies and Royals pitcher Jeff Francis could be a target in free agency.
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Francis would be a throwback not for Pirate fans, but for manager Clint Hurdle, who managed the 30-year old lefty in Colorado. Francis pitched his most effective seasons under Hurdle in Denver, posting a 4.16 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 199 innings back in 2006 before serving as a cog in the Rockies' 2007 World Series run, winning 17 games with a 4.22 ERA and 165 strikeouts.
↵It doesn't appear that he's anything close to that pitcher now, however, after missing all of 2009 and part of 2010 while recovering from shoulder surgery. This past season, he went just 6-16 with a 4.82 ERA and 91 strikepits in 31 starts for the Royals.
↵That said, with the Pirates hurting for big league-level pitching in the absence of now-free agent Paul Maholm, a signing of Francis would make sense. He's certainly not a frontline pitcher, but he could offer a competent 175-200 innings, which is more than can be said about a number of the Bucs' internal options at this point. Whether the signing would be wise all depends on the money involved.