Two former Philadelphia Phillies' futures have become clear within the last 24 hours.
The Atlanta Braves announced that Jeff Francoeur, who spent the 2015 season with the Phillies, made their club after batting over .320 on a minor league deal this spring.
Francoeur revived his big-league career with the Phillies last year, after batting .258 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. The fact that he's considered one of the better clubhouse influences in the league also probably helped him in his attempt to make the Braves' roster.
Francoeur, who is an Atlanta native, spent the first four and a half seasons of his career with the Braves.
Kyle Kendrick, who began this spring with the Braves but was released after posting a 22.09 ERA in his first two spring appearances, is close to signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
#Angels finalizing deal with free-agent RHP Kyle Kendrick, sources tell me and @jonmorosi.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 30, 2016
Kendrick pitched for the Phillies from 2007 to 2014, primarily as a starter, but did appear as a reliever at times, specifically when he made 31 relief appearances between 2011 and 2012. During that time Kendrick served as a spot starter. It's not immediately clear what role the Angels intend to use Kendrick in, though it appears it will be somewhere on their major league roster.
In other former Phillies news, Jimmy Rollins made the Chicago White Sox Opening Day roster after signing a minor league deal this off-season, while Domonic Brown failed to make the Blue Jays Opening Day roster when faced with the same situation.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features
