Giants, Gillaspie avoid arbitration, settle on salary for 2017

Share

SAN FRANCISCO -- A year ago at this time, Conor Gillaspie was a 28-year-old free agent. On Wednesday he locked in a solid deal that secures his roster spot for the 2017 season. 

Gillaspie and the Giants avoided arbitration, the team announced Wednesday evening. The two sides agreed to a $1.4 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Gillaspie is the third arbitration-eligible Giant to agree to a contract, joining Cory Gearrin and Ehire Adrianza, both of whom settled in early December. The Giants still must come to terms with Eduardo Nuñez, Will Smith and George Kontos, but they have a history of avoiding arbitration hearings. 

Gillaspie should go into the upcoming season as Bruce Bochy's top pinch-hit option and he'll get a chance to compete with Nuñez for time at third base. With Nuñez sidelined by a hamstring injury last October, Gillaspie became Bochy's most dangerous bat. He hit a three-run homer to provide the winning runs in the Wild Card Game at Citi Field. During the NLCS, Gillaspie went 6-for-15 with three more RBI. 

Gillaspie was twice designated for assignment in 2015, but he has nothing to worry about as the new season approaches. The Giants will report to camp on Feb. 14. 

--- In case you missed it, Santiago Casilla's new home is not far from his 2016 home. He agreed to a two-year deal with the A's, his former team. Casilla had a rough final season with the Giants, but his tenure in San Francisco was overall a huge success. He posted a 2.42 ERA in seven seasons and allowed just two earned runs in 25 postseason appearances. He was miscast as a closer this past season, but the stuff is there to again be a very strong setup man. This seems to be a nice deal for both sides.

Contact Us