It has been known for some time that the Giants had some level of interest in a reunion with Hunter Pence, but newly arising indications are that a deal could be coming together.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets that the sides have held “serious talks” for some time now. In fact, a tipster told Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports (Twitter link) that Pence is on his way to San Francisco. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic reports that there are indeed ongoing negotiations, but also that “no deal is done yet.”
Taken together, it seems there’s a rather clear indication that Pence could end up returning to the Giants, even if we can’t yet presume that a deal will be completed. If indeed things come together, no shortage of fans of the team will be thrilled to see Pence back in the bay.
Though his first stint with the Giants didn’t end on a high note, as Pence struggled through his last two seasons with the club, he’s fondly remembered for his contributions on and off the field. And Pence was quite productive for the most part with the Giants. He had a nice run from 2013 through 2016, slashing a robust .281/.339/.463 and hitting 69 home runs.
Pence rebounded in a big way after landing with the Rangers last winter. He posted a .297/.358/.552 batting line in 316 plate appearances. Statcast figures were rather positive, recording 84.7th percentile sprint speed, 91.4 mph average exist velocity, and a 10.1 degree mean launch angle that far exceeded his prior levels.
It’s a good fit on several levels for a Giants team that remains in transition. Pence would presumably function as a part-time player who’d appeal to fans, add some pop, and serve as a mentor to the organization’s younger players.
Serious?? How serious could it be? It’s Hunter Pence. If he gets a MILB deal he shouldn’t complain
You realize he just put up a .910 OPS last year? 1.015 against LHP.
Yes….I realize that he had a nice comeback year however, most teams are guessing that it’s not repeatable and he remained unsigned. Good for him….his unorthodox style is fun to watch.
BAHAHAHAHAA……..Oh Lord, Frisco fans drunk on Nostalgia will be dancing in the streets . Wow, I mean I realize Zaidi took a PR beating this off season, But Sandoval AND Pence . This is straight up pandering to a Low Baseball IQ fan base. Lol
Tim used to ban trolls like this. It’s why mlbtraderumors went to a system where every comment needed to be approved prior to posting. Here we go again.
2nd that HummBaby!
Im sick of the ignorant and completely nonsensical insults thrown around so often…have some damn class
Jeff Todd! are you stealing the scoops that I stole from Craig and posted on the bochy thread? shame on you. lol
Welcome to baseball in 2020. Recycling day is every day.
Take that Dodgers with your Mookie Betts!
Hahahah. Good one.
To be fair, the Dodgers don’t actually HAVE Betts yet, and the longer it drags out the less likely it is that he winds up in LA.
The trade was reported 5 days ago and still nothing.
The trade was announced two days ago…
Would love to see Pence put up better numbers than Mookie. I’m not a bitter Sox fan…
Props to Pence for NOT joining the Trashtros…. He deserves a better going away party than that
I had never heard Trashtros. I like it EJ
In other news, Farhan Zaidi is working on a time machine that will make it 2012 again.
Love it. Sandoval and Pence make us a better team.
Do you actually believe that ?
Excluding Yaz, Giants best hitter last year was Sandoval
How is that not a believable statement?
We need all the help we can get!
What’s the problem with inviting everyone to ST to see who sticks?
Jesus, all this whining and people talk crap about SF fans!?!
Give me a break!
Pence needs DH at bats. It’s too bad any AL teams dont seem to have real interest.
Honestly, he fits far better in Cleveland than Domingo Santana.
My guess is he’d prefer to return “home” at this stage of his career.
This is the giants big addition going into the 2020 season. A 2milion dollar deal with an option.. and the Giants are slow to get it done.
Mighty Giants. Lol
If you were actually trying to be smart and funny you could remark on the actual big signing for them, Gausman.
Which is a laugher…but no, you went lazy and ignorant. Congrats
Let me know when they get to “very” serious talks.
Righty specialist the only thing low IQ is your comment. Bet you never been to SF or a game out there. smh
Do we really need to know a percentile down to the tenth?
Hunter and Pablo, what a duo! Like Batman and Robin lol… Giants are going back to contention for sure!
Pence was hard to watch when he was young and talented. His second act will be sorry looking, to say the least…