The Giants lock up Pagan and Scutaro

The Giants locked up two crucial players in the last two days. Angel Pagan signed for $40 million and four years and Marco Scutaro signed for a $20 million 3-year deal. These are excellent moves on Brian Sabean’s part. Without Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro, the Giants don’t make it to the World Series. It’s that simple. Although Pagan is 31, and had only two out of seven seasons with 150 or more games started, he transformed in a Giants uniform in 2012, and became a beast when he assumed the leadoff position in early August. His play and presence lifted the Giants many times during their championship chase. Marco “blockbuster” Scutaro, as his teammates deemed him, was the NLCS MVP, and will enter the 2013 season with a 21-game hitting streak intact. He was money the minute he put on a Giants uniform.  Though Scutaro’s in the twilight of his career, he is a consummate professional, and brings to the team consistency at the plate and with the glove. Many Giants credit Scutaro for inspiring them to raise their level of play offensively and defensively. The Giants offered Pagan a nice $5 million signing bonus, and ramped up his salary from $ 7 million in 2013, and $9 million in 2014 and ’15, to $10 million in the last year of the contract. Marco Scutaro was looking for a three-year deal from the beginning, and the Giants delivered. The St. Louis Cardinals offered a two-year deal, as they are looking to fill second base. The signing of Scutaro is a nice sign from Brian Sabean that he values the chemistry and contributions that Pagan and Scutaro brought to the championship team. They hit one-two in the order, and caused damage throughout September and October. The 2012 Giants are left largely intact, except for left field. There is little word on who the Giants are considering to play left. They’ve said publicly that Gregor Blanco will see considerable time out there. Blanco’s defensive ability is stunning. Without him Matt Cain might not have had a perfect game. Without Blanco in the playoffs, they don’t win. He was clutch at the right time, but his production was up and down during the regular season. The question is can he deliver an entire season? That’s a big question mark. The Giants have only two items left on their offseason list: In Order. Find a left fielder Resolve Brian Wilson’s free agency: sign him or find another power closer. The post The Giants lock up Pagan and Scutaro appeared first on Bay Area Sports Nut.