Padres add veteran Francoeur on Minor League deal
Outfielder hit .286 this spring in Indians camp; likely headed for Triple-A El Paso
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres on Tuesday signed veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur to a Minor League deal.
Francoeur, who was in camp this spring with the Indians, will report to the team's Minor League camp Wednesday and will likely begin the season with Triple-A El Paso.
Francoeur, 30, hit .286 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 39 plate appearances with the Indians. He was released Saturday.
Francoeur is a career .263/.306/.419 hitter in nine Major League seasons with the Braves, Mets, Rangers, Royals and Giants.
He signed a Minor League deal with the Indians in January with an invite to big league camp. He showed well this spring, but there wasn't a spot for him.
"Talking with Jeff was one of the hardest conversations we've had," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti told MLB.com. "Not only because of the player he is, but the person. It's really challenging to come to a new organization and fit in as well as he did, really from day one.
"It was really tough. Jeff had a really good camp. We're all confident that he can help a Major League team. It's just, for us, a lot of decisions come down to how do we put all the pieces together and not individually who may be the best player."