On Friday morning, it was reported by Devan Fin of Beyond The Box that the Giants avoided arbitration with their second baseman Joe Panik; settling for $3.45 million, which is significant more than the $600,000 he made last season. This is the first of three years of arbitration eligibility before Panik becomes a free agent after the 2020 season.
Source: Giants, Joe Panik settle at $3.45 million, avoiding arbitration.
— Devan Fink (@DevanFink) January 12, 2018
Can confirm Giants and second baseman Joe Panik have settled for $3.45 million, avoiding arbitration. @devanfink first.
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) January 12, 2018
Since making his debut in 2014, when he batted .305 and finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting, Panik has averaged 122 games per season with an overall .278 batting average and hit 10 home runs each of the last two years. Panik received his first and only All-Star nomination in 2015, and earned his first Gold Glove award the following year, despite battling through an offensive slump. Nonetheless, Panik successfully rebounded last season by batting .288 with a .347 OBP.