The Giants and third baseman Pablo Sandoval agreed to terms on a three-year deal Tuesday. The total deal is reportedly worth 17.15 million.
Sandoval earned 500,000 in 2011 and was arbitration eligible for 2012. The new deal buys out three of Sandoval's arbitration years.
According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, Sandoval will earn 3.2 million this year, 5.7 million in 2013 and 8.25 million in 2014.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Sandoval, 25, will be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season.
Last year he batted .315 in 117 games, driving in 70 runs and hitting 23 home runs despite being sidelined for surgery of a fractured hamate bone. With Carlos Beltran hitting ahead of him, Sandoval flourished, batting .329 with 12 homers and 32 RBIs.
Sandoval also made the NL All-Star team for the first time in his career as well as notching a career-best 22-game hitting streak in July.
It was the longest streak by a Giants player since Jack Clark hit safely in a franchise-record 26 consecutive games in 1978.
San Francisco Giants
Hours after the Giants announced the deal, Sandoval Tweeted his reaction to the news. Translated from Spanish to English, Sandoval wrote...
"I'd like to thank god, my entire family, @Mik3Sand0vAl , the agency @MAGOfficial, @gusvasquez28 @RyanMorgan10 @mike_v_23, the fans.To the San Francisco Giants for this achievement in my professional career. Without you, I don't know where I'd be. And now, I'm super focused for Spring Training and the 2012 season, to continue harvesting achievements in my career and for my Venezuela."
After his breakout season in 2009, Sandoval gained weight and struggled in 2010, contributing sparingly during the Giants' run at a World Series title. After the season, both manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean threatened Sandoval with a demotion to Triple-A if he didn't improve his fitness.
After going through an offseason workout program in Arizona, Sandoval returned lighter to start the 2011 season. Sandoval once again went to Arizona to participate in an offseason workout program this winter.
Rael Enteen is a web producer with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. Follow him on Twitter @RaelEnteenCSN.