Hunter Pence and SF Giants Agree on $90Mil Contract

Never fear, Hunter Pence fans. It was reported this morning by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that Pence and the Giants have agreed to a $90 million deal.

Hunter Pence is closing in on a $90M deal with the #SFGiants
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 28, 2013

Sep 17, 2013; New York, NY, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Pence (8) hits an RBI single against the New York Mets during the ninth inning of a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The deal is said to be a five year deal. That would put the deal at $18 million a year if spread out evenly.

I would imagine Pence could have signed elsewhere for more money, however he has said on numerous occasions how much he likes playing in San Francisco. Maybe winning the Willie Mac award last night moved him enough to give San Francisco a hometown discount.

Oh, and he also has a full, five-year, no-trade clause. So he won’t be going anywhere unless he waives it in tough times.

Pence's no-trade clause is full, for five years, no restrictions. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) September 28, 2013

Talked had seemed slow, even up until a week ago, however, after last night’s game, they seemed to accelerate at a fast pace, with Pence and Giants CEO/President Larry Baer having discussions in the locker room when the beat writers arrived. According to Andrew Baggarly, that was a first for him.

I'm not joking. It sounded like Pence and Baer were talking about re-signing. When reporters approached they walked away. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) September 28, 2013

Pence and Larry Baer are seriously talking contract stuff within earshot of the media in the clubhouse. Well...this is a first for me.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 28, 2013

Pence also hit his a home run last night.

That was his 26th home run of the year, and also a career high for Pence. He’s has 94 RBIs and if he can reach 100 in the next two game, he’ll have 100 or more RBIs for his fifth straight year. I could definitely use a little more of that on this team.

The contract is pending a physical, but I think Baggs put it best here:

Uh, just asking...when a guy has started all 161 games, what's the point of a physical?
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) September 28, 2013

He also dropped some other good info here as well:

"Pence’s deal matches the second richest the Giants have given to a position player, behind Buster Posey’s nine-year, $167 million extension. Oddly enough, the Giants and Barry Bonds signed a five-year, $90 million contract after the 2001 season."

So, it looks like fans, and even the great Willie McCovey will get what they have been hoping – Hunter Pence is the right fielder of the Giants’ future…at least for the next 4-5 years.

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