The Giants and left-hander Jeremy Affeldt have reached an agreement on a three-year deal that will be worth around $18MM, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
The 33-year-old Affeldt was a critical component to the Giants 2012 World Series title, pitching to a 2.70 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 with a sky-high 59.9 percent ground-ball rate in 63 1/3 innings. Unlike many southpaws, Affeldt was effective against both right-handed (.656 OPS) and left-handed batters (.621 OPS).
The price for free agent relievers appears to be high early this offseason, as the Giants' NL West rivals recently signed Brandon League to a three-year deal worth $22.5MM. Affeldt has been with the Giants since signing a two-year contract as a free agent in November of 2008. He is represented by Moye Sports Associates, as shown in MLBTR's Agency Database.
It was first reported late last week that the Giants were discussing a new contract with Affeldt. He ranked 50th on Tim Dierkes' list of Top 50 free agents. Tim correctly predicted a reunion with the Giants, as did Ben Nicholson-Smith. A look at the contest leaderboard shows that the rest of the writing team, myself included, swung and missed on Affeldt's destination.
With Affeldt secured, the Giants' biggest decision pertaining to their bullpen will now likely be whether or not to tender former closer Brian Wilson a contract following his Tommy John surgery.
