Giants Avoid Arbitration with Brandon Belt
The San Francisco Giants haven't had to enter an arbitration hearing with one of their players since 2004, when they did so with A.J. Pierzynski. Most Giants fans will shiver at the mention of that name, but today the news is good. San Francisco and Brandon Belt took it down to the wire, but late Tuesday night, the two sides night finally came to terms, avoiding arbitration, and agreeing to a one-year, $2.9 million contract. The San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman was the first to break the news. Belt was the last arbitration eligible player who remained unsigned for the Giants.
The hearing was due to take place Wednesday, at 9:00 AM. The two sides had a fairly big gap to negotiate, as the Giants had submitted a $2.05 million figure, compared to Belt's $3.6 million. As a result, the time it took to settle isn't a surprise. All along San Francisco general manager, Brian Sabean, said that he expected to reach an agreement before they had to go to an arbiter, and his prediction has come to fruition. The $2.9 million figure is just north of the mid-point of their two offers.
Belt has had a streaky, up and down, start to his career in the French vanilla. He made his much-hyped debut in 2011, and didn't live up to the expectations. It has taken a couple of years, but last season he seemed to put all the pieces together. He quietly had a very good year, setting career-highs across the board. His .841 OPS and 4.4 WAR were the fourth best in the National League among all qualifying first basemen.
The 25-year-old rising talent will look to take the next step in his development this season. Based on the progression he has had, and the adjustments he has made, there's little reason to think he can't. He has always had a great eye at the plate, and is finally adding the ability to make consistent hard contact. His superb defense was never in question; everyone has just been waiting for his bat to catch up.
The two sides are expected to continue dialogue on a long-term extension. Settling on an arbitration figure was their first priority, to set a starting point for further negotiations.
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