The Giants and Buster Posey have had preliminary talks about an extension

The Giants and catcher Buster Posey avoided arbitration in January by agreeing to a one-year, $8 million contract, but Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com hears that the two sides have “exchanged preliminary ideas” about a multi-year deal which would buy out his remaining arbitration years.

As a Super Two player, Posey is arbitration-eligible for four years as opposed to the usual three, so he remains under team control through 2016. His salary figures to escalate significantly over the next three years, so while there’s some risk involved given the position that he plays, locking him up now would secure some cost certainty for the Giants.

“Our view of Buster is that he’ll be reasonable,” Giants CEO Larry Baer told me. “We’ve thrown some things out. They’ve thrown some things out. It’s going to be more evolved over time. It’s not a `check back in two weeks, we may have something’ kind of thing.”

Baer classified getting an extension done with Posey as “a matter of importance,” but neither side views Opening Day as a deadline.

Posey, 25, owns a .314/.380/.503 batting line over his first 308 games in the majors. His 172 OPS+ last season led all hitters.