Giants DFA Jeff Francoeur

Really, all I wanted to do was poke fun at Eugenio Velez some more. There didn't seem to be a reason to dump Jeff Francoeur right now, 11 days before rosters expanded. It's not like the Giants need to win games in the next two weeks. Heck, the more Francoeur, the better draft position. All you have to lose are games, Giants.

And your soul.

The Giants designated Jeff Francoeur for assignment on Tuesday, meaning they'll have 10 days to trade him, lose him on waivers, or release him. Which is to say, the Giants released Francoeur proactively.

Francoeur was even worse than expected, which was pretty bad considering we were expecting Ricky Ledee with mercury poisoning. Still, the timing was curious. The players know it's a business, but if there's a 10-percent chance of putting the idea of "Man, that was cold" into the head of a Giants player (or future free agent), chilling possible relations, I'm not sure what the reward of the next 11 days is worth.

On the other hand, a player who shouldn't be on the 25-man roster isn't on the 25-man roster. That's probably all that's important.

If the Giants have a sense of humor, this is just a move to make room for Delmon Young. More likely, it's going to mean more Juan Perez, who is just two years younger than Francoeur, you know. But a lot more talented in the field.

We'll always have that 16-inning loss followed by the Francoeur signing in the morning, though. That's the kind of 1-2 combo that you get but once a decade. That'll be the memory of the 2013 season, I suppose. Other than the no-hitter, of course. A 16-inning loss to the ribs, followed by a Jeff Francoeur right cross. I'm almost nostalgic.

Now let us never use the phrase "next Pat Burrell" again unless we're running a neighborhood watch program.