Brandon Belt and Giants Avoid Hearing

Sep 26, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) rounds second base after hitting a double during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

With only 8 hours to until a hearing was scheduled, first basemen Brandon Belt and the Giants have agreed on a 1 year contract.

#sfgiants, Belt avoid arbitration with one-year deal.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 19, 2014

Many are reporting that the deal is worth $2.9mm

Belt gets $2.9 million. #sfgiants
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 19, 2014

When numbers were filed earlier this month, Belt was asking for $3.6 million, with the team offering $2.05 million.

That's a shade more than midpoint of $2.825m
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 19, 2014

Now that the arbitration has been avoided, I was would expect Belt and the Giants to work on a contract extension from 2015 on. Belt was in Tampa, Florida for the arbitration hearing and will probably rejoin his teammates in Scottsdale, either Wednesday or Thursday.

Brandon Belt avoids arbitration. Somewhere an arbitrator is bummed. #SFGiants
— Ahmed Fareed (@FareedNBCS) February 19, 2014

This extends the teams streak of not going to an arbitration hearing to 10 years. Former Giants catcher A.J. Pierzynski was the last Giants player to go a hearing, in 2004

Belt, who is expected to be the #3 hitter in 2014, enjoyed a fairly productive 2013 season .289 AVG 17 HR 67 RBI .360 OBP .481 SLG .841 OPS. If the adjustments that he made near the end of last season can be sustained, I would expect much better offensive numbers this season.