Will The Atlanta Braves Re-Sign Jeff Francoeur?

Will there be an Atlanta Braves and Jeff Francoeur reunion (again)?

The bats have begun to crack. The gloves have begun to pop. The aroma of fresh cut grass is refreshing.

Spring training is upon us and a new baseball season is on its way. The thought of baseball can make you question yourself why you are sitting at the office or in a classroom and not in Orlando or Arizona. The Atlanta Braves social medias have been popping with spring coverage talking about the pitchers, catchers and the other position players showing up early.

However as players are arriving and teams are checking in for the Spring, there is still a good amount of players that have yet to find a team for 2017.

Jeff Francoeur is one of those players that finds themselves still on the market.

This is not something new for the 33-year-old right fielder who just last year, was also entering spring training team-less. Nicknamed “Frenchy,” Francoeur owns a career batting average of .261 with 160 home runs and 698 RBIs.

The Braves would eventually sign him to a minor league deal for 2016 that included an invitation to spring training.  A year later, we are left with the question…will Braves sign him again. Last year when they added him, it came almost as a surprise as there was not much talk, if any at all, and lead to many fans even thinking that the Braves signed him only as a publicity stunt to get fans excited for the upcoming season.

Francoeur, however, showed up with his iconic smile and eventually broke camp, joining the roster for Opening Day.

Francoeur would slash .249/.290/.381 for the 5 months that he spent with the Braves before being traded to the Miami Marlins in the 3-team trade that included the Texas Rangers. He popped seven home runs while knocking in 33 RBIs in 276 plate appearances (257 at-bats). In Miami, he had a slash line of .280/.333/.360 in 55 plate appearances to produce a combined .254/.297/.378 line.

More from Tomahawk Take

• Atlanta Braves: Which offseason moves have other NL East teams made?
• Show the bullpen some love
• Braves News: Atlanta’s left field situation, Dansby negotiations, more
• Alex Anthopoulos discusses the Atlanta Braves payroll, rotation, Grissom, Swanson, Acuña, and more
• Braves News: Braves 2023 rotation speculation, Correa deal on hold, more

Now currently the Braves have 39 players on their 40-Man roster which means technically the Braves can sign him and have him to fill the spot for a bench role. Will they do it is the golden question?

In the outfield, Braves have Ender Inciarte, Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis set to be the starters and only utility players Jace Peterson and maybe Emilio Bonifacio, who is on a minor league deal, as back-ups; recently signed Sean Rodriguez had rotator-cuff surgery on February 14th, and is most likely out for the season.

Peterson has only played in the outfield a total 16 times, 15 in left field and one in center (all in 2016). That means the Braves have no true outfielder on the bench.

Options like Kelly Johnson (also a utility player) and Ángel Pagán are still out there.

I can see Francoeur producing similar, if not the same, numbers that he put up last season but his true value is his leadership and clubhouse presence, and not to forget that great big smile.

Therefore, I am all for Braves signing him again. I also think it would make sense as it provides a backup outfielder and a mentor on the younger players. Braves fans would be happy. Francoeur fans would be happy. Braves fans that love Jeff Francoeur would be VERY happy.

The Atlanta native has also expressed his love and gratitude towards the Braves and its community, so I’m pretty sure he’s willing to come back. The Braves have been rumored to be in discussions with Francoeur but nothing is for sure yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Braves announced signing him sometime in the next few weeks leading up to Opening Day.

If he is brought back, there is a strong chance that he will be traded to another team at some point in the season just like last year and similar to the relationship the Braves and Kelly Johnson has had for the last two seasons. Francoeur would see a slightly different team this time as the Braves now have older veterans like Bartolo Colón, R.A. Dickey, and Brandon Phillips on the team.

Next: A Ticket To The Bullpen?

The baseball journeyman will always be welcome by Braves country and it will always be a home for him. So will he return for another go this season, only time will tell.