Francis, 33, has bounced around the majors the past few years, making stops in Kansas City, Cincinnati, Colorado and Oakland since the beginning of the 2011 season. This year, he made eight starts for Cincinnati’s Triple-A club and posted a 3.33 ERA, then made one start for the Reds (three earned runs in five innings).
Then, he was claimed off waivers for the A’s. In nine games out of the bullpen for Oakland, Francis had a 6.08 ERA.
