The San Francisco Giants are prepared to make Buster Posey the face of their franchise. Posey would like to be with the Giants for life, the question is, how much will it cost? The team has quietly begun contract talks with their young catcher, working out a deal of mega proportions.
Posey has been with the Giants since 2009. In that short time, he has helped the Giants to two World Series titles and earned an MVP award. No bad the 25-year old. Posey is reportedly in search of deal for at least 10 years which does not seem that crazy considering he is one of their most productive players at such a young age. In his four years, he averages a .314 batting average, with a .380 on-base percentage and 46 homeruns.
Giants chairman Larry Baer has mentioned in recent interviews that the team and Posey are discussing a possible long-term deal. The Giants are run by very deep-pocketed people who can pay Posey the money to be locked up by the team for his career. The short-term goal is to take care of the three extra arbitration years with the long-term goal being to sign for large money.
Posey set the record for largest first-year arbitration settlement of $8 million for 2013. His versatility is what makes the long-term deal make sense. He is the best offensive catcher in the National League. He led the majors after the All-Star break in batting average (.385) and on-base percentage (.456). Figuring out a fair length and contract size might be difficult because of his talents.
It makes no sense to sign Posey to a mid-range contract of 6-8 years since he is already set to become a free agent at 29. His early accomplishments and age could break the team's bank. Derek Jeter was a similar case who signed a $189 million, 10-year deal with the Yankees at 26.
Posey being a catch brings up the question of whether or not he would be able to play for the full-length of a long-term contract signed at his age. But, he is such a big producer when it comes to batting that he could easily move to first base as he gets older.
The Giants ownership group will make a smart decision with Posey. It is the same group that selected him No. 5 overall in the draft. They already locked up Matt Cain to a five-year, $112.5 million contract extension last spring. Posey's deal is expected to be much larger. For a player that is set to become the cornerstone of a franchise, the Giants will make sure to take care of him.
