Bucs sign Freese to contract extension
By Stephen J. NESBITT
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
The Pirates have re-signed infielder David Freese to a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2019, his age 36 season, the club announced Monday.
Freese’s contract is for $6.25 million in 2017 and $4.25 million in 2018. The club option is worth $6 million, with a $500,000 buyout.
“Don’t really know exactly when talks began,” Freese said. “When things kind of started coming to fruition, I was getting pretty pumped.”
Freese, 33, joined the Pirates on a one-year free agent deal worth $3 million in March, arriving in Bradenton, Fla., about halfway through spring training. The former St. Louis Cardinals playoff hero has settled in nicely in Pittsburgh, with a .276 average in 107 games.
“It’s a team that can compete to win,” Freese said. “I think that’s the first thing I thought about when I signed here early on.”
Freese was originally signed to be a stop-gap substitute at third base while Jung Ho Kang rehabbed from major knee surgery. He was then expected to move to into a first-base platoon with John Jaso. Freese’s offensive productivity has kept him in the lineup more often than not. In 348 plate at-bats this season, Freese has a .355 on-base percentage.
Jaso and Kang are both under contract through at least next season.
“I’m just going to do my thing, keep coming in every day, helping out the corners the best I can and coming off the bench,” Freese said. “Just entirely focused on this year. Obviously the deal is for the next couple years, potentially a third. Just really focused on this season and how I can help.”
Freese credited the continued teaching the players receive from manager Clint Hurdle and the coaching staff as part of what made the Pirates attractive.
“It’s awesome coming to the yard and learning the game every day, more and more,” he said. “It’s not just about hitting here, or if you’re a pitcher, how to pitch. From top to bottom, Clint all the way down, they teach the game. I necessarily haven’t felt that at this level in a couple years. To be around this group, a group that loves playing the game, has fun with it, it’s awesome. My age, my career, to continue to learn the game each and every day, it’s great.”