Pirates lock up David Freese through 2018 with contract extension
The 33 year old initially signed a one-year, $3 million deal this past offseason
After initially signing a one-year, $3 million deal to join the Pirates this past offseason, David Freese has now gotten himself an extension. The Pirates announced Monday that they have agreed to an extension through the 2018 season with a club option for 2019. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Pirates. We do have this report from a mlb.com, though:
Source: Freese's deal pays $6.25 million next season and $4.25 million in 2018. Club option for 2019 is $6 million, $500,000 buyout.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) August 22, 2016
Instead of being backloaded, the 2018 season salary gets softer as Freese moves into his mid-30s. That's a team-friendly deal.
Freese, 33, is having a nice season for the Pirates. He's hitting .276/.355/.43 with 20 doubles, 12 homers and 49 RBI. He's also transitioned into being able to play first base in addition to his customary third base. The versatility on this front has helped the Pirates through some injury issues on the infield.
"David has been a consummate professional while producing offensively and playing solid defense atboth third and first base to help this team win games," said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to extend that impact into future seasons."
Moving forward, expect Freese to play a similar role. Surely the first baseman of the future is Josh Bell, but we can never be sure how a player handles everyday starting until he actually does it. Jung Ho Kang will remain the third baseman, but he's currently hurt. Freese swinging between the two spots next season and maybe even in 2018 seems pretty reasonable.
















