As first reported by Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports, the San Francisco Giants have signed Aubrey Huff to a two year deal worth $22 million. The team also has a club option in 2013.
Huff drove the Giants offensively in 2010, batting .290 with 26 home runs and a .385 on base percentage. He led the team with 83 walks and 288 total bases. The deal solidifies the right side of the Giants infield, with second baseman Freddie Sanchez finishing the second year of a two year deal in 2011.
Signing Huff to a multi-year deal is a solid move for the Giants on a number of fronts. Huff is slated to play first base, but if the Giants happen to swing a deal for a first baseman, Huff can move to left field where he played in 46 games in 2010. Another, more remote, possibility is the emergence of budding first baseman Brandon Belt, who batted .352 at three Minor League levels for the Giants last season. Belt will have a chance to show the team how close he is to playing in the big leagues at Spring Training this March.
Looking to 2012 and beyond, Huff could be invaluable as a hitter off the bench and his abilities on the field at first and in the outfield make him the type of mutli-threat player Juan Uribe has been for the Giants the past several years. And while you won’t find this on the ESPN stats page, Huff also brings leadership and humor to the clubhouse, two invaluable ingredients that helped the San Francisco Giants become World Champions.
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