San Francisco Giants Reportedly Agree on 4-Year Deal with Angel Pagan

The San Francisco Giants and Angel Pagan have reportedly agreed to a deal that will keep the center fielder in the Bay Area for the next four years.

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman confirmed the deal while Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown provided details on the contract:

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Pagan in agreement with giants

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2012"

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Source: Pagan gets $40m over four years with Giants.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) December 3, 2012"

Pagan’s one-year, $4.85 million deal expired following the 2012 season, and the Giants have now brought him back after his key role in the team’s World Series run.

The 31-year-old batted .288 last season and had an OPS of .778. He is a switch-hitter who gets on base often and has the speed to excel defensively. He also had 29 stolen bases last season.

In the postseason, Pagan batted just .188 but turned in a few important performances. He came through with two hits and two runs scored in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds to keep his team alive and also had a multi-hit game in a Game 7 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals to send the Giants to the World Series.

His momentum continued as he cracked two doubles in Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Detroit Tigers. He proved to be a productive leadoff man for San Francisco during its second-half surge to the postseason. 

The signing suggests that general manager Brian Sabean is executing a strategy similar to the one used after the team won a championship in 2010. Sabean is opting to bring back the players that helped lead the team through the postseason instead of adding new talent in free agency.

The Giants' spirit in the clubhouse was infectious and exciting to watch throughout the playoffs, and the front office is taking a step toward recreating that with this signing.