By signing Norichika Aoki the Giants pushed Gregor Blanco into a backup role, but they also avoided arbitration with the 31-year-old outfielder by signing him to a two-year, $7.5 million contract.
Blanco will make slightly less than Aoki, who gets $4 million in 2015, and the two-year deal covers his final two seasons of arbitration eligibility. He’ll be eligible for free agency after 2016.
Blanco has been a regular for the Giants in each of the past three seasons, logging 453, 511, and 444 plate appearances while playing all three outfield spots and hitting .257 with a .336 on-base percentage and .691 OPS in 428 total games.
