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MLB News: San Francisco Giants Extend Brandon Belt

By Mark Suleymanov
Published on: 14:54 PST, Apr 10, 2016

The San Francisco Giants are continuing a trend of locking up their key offensive pieces, agreeing to an extension with first baseman Brandon Belt, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area first reported on Saturday. The extension is for five years and guarantees the three-time World Series champion $79 million through the 2021 season, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

This new deal buys out four free agent seasons for Belt. He is set to make $6.2 million this season and will be the beneficiary of a significant raise in the coming seasons. After his $6.2 million salary in 2016, Belt will be paid $8.8 million next year and $16 million each year from 2018 through 2021.

Belt, who turns 28 soon, will be allowed to block a trade to 10 different teams starting next season.

As Buster Olney of ESPN mentions, with Belt’s extension, he becomes the third homegrown player in the Giants’ organization to be signed through 2021 (Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford are the others). Also, MLB Trade Rumors notes that the Giants have pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija signed through at least 2020, giving the team a solid nucleus of talent for several seasons moving forward.

“A lot of the great core players are going to be here for a lot of years to come. I think that should excite anybody, just having a chance to win year in and year out,” Belt said during a press conference after the Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in extra innings on Saturday, via FOX Sports. “I think I’ve matured and grown a lot over the past five years or so. All of it is due to this organization from the top on down. I have a lot of growing left to do and I wouldn’t want to do it any other place except for here.”

Belt is a career .272 hitter with 63 HR and 237 RBI, but the Giants’ significant commitment to the left-handed hitter shows a belief that Belt can improve on those numbers. Several injuries have limited Belt’s opportunities since his debut in 2010; including a broken thumb and a concussion that cost him 100-plus games in 2014. Despite a solid season with the bat last year, hitting .280 with 18 HR and 68 RBI in 137 games, Belt missed time with additional concussion issues.

One outstanding part of Belt’s game is his ability on the defensive side of the ball. According to FanGraphs, Belt owns marks of +23 Defensive Runs Saved and a +6.1 UZR/150 during his time as a first baseman. Belt is likely a future winner of the Gold Glove award at first base where he ranks as one of the best defenders at the position. He is also capable of playing the corners in the outfield, but advanced defensive metrics prefer his work at first base.

“It’s easier said than done but finally, especially from a position player standpoint, all of the sudden we’ve got a core group,” said Giants executive vice president of baseball operations, Brian Sabean. “We had the window with the pitching but to think now what we have and what Bobby’s been able to do with Crawford and Brandon, and to round things out, it’s pretty amazing.”

Belt is not only well-respected by members of the organization, he has become a fan-favorite in San Francisco. As the Giants look to capture their fourth World Series championship since 2010, he has the endorsement of all the key members of the Giants’ organization.

“He’s one of our guys, he’s one of our core players,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Well-earned, deserved.”

[Featured Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

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