Brandon Belt, one of the most important players to the Giants of recent memory, is reportedly moving on from the franchise.
Belt, 34, spent the past 12 seasons with the Giants, winning two World Series and earning one All-Star selection. According to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, the first baseman is set to sign a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Belt is a career .261 hitter and has recorded 175 home runs in his 12 seasons — one shy of Will Clark and 10th most in franchise history. His clutch hitting, clubhouse presence and overall production when healthy make him one of the many pillars of the winningest era in Giants history.
Several other reporters have confirmed the news Slusser broke. The contract is worth $9.3 million, per multiple reports.
Belt debuted in 2011, one year after San Francisco’s first World Series championship since 1954, as a highly touted prospect. He struggled as a rookie, hitting .225 and thus beginning what would become a long-standing discourse over his value — commonly known as The Belt Wars.
Belt surged the next year, showcasing the strong plate discipline that he carried throughout his career. Belt hit .275 with a .360 on-base percentage, helping the Giants to another World Series title. In Game 4 of the World Series, Belt tripled off Max Scherzer to give SF a lead which it wouldn’t relinquish to secure a sweep.
Two years later, Belt again contributed to a World Series run, SF’s third in five years. His go-ahead home run in the 18th inning Game 2 of the NLDS keyed a magical run.
With Belt heading elsewhere, shortstop Brandon Crawford is the only Giant from the 2014 championship roster still with the team. Manager Bruce Bochy is in Texas; general manager Brian Sabean took a job with the Yankees; Buster Posey is retired (and a part-owner of the Giants); Madison Bumgarner pitches for Arizona; Pablo Sandoval is playing in Mexico.
Every year from 2012 to 2018 — including his All-Star campaign of 2016 —Belt posted an OPS over .780. But as he aged into his late-20s and early 30s, Belt dealt with a plethora of injuries. He suffered knee and back injuries, and his terrific 2021 season ended early when he fractured his thumb while trying to bunt.
Belt hit 29 home runs in 97 games that year, a resurgent campaign that extended a stretch in which Belt posted one of the highest wRC+ numbers in the entire sport. He was as important as anyone else to the club’s franchise-record 107 win season.
The confident, sarcastic star’s personality showed as his career with the Giants progressed. For last year’s Opening Day, he rode into Oracle Park on a boat — a call-back to the joke he started the previous year when he crafted a captain’s “C” to his jersey with electrical tape.
But that proved to be the high point for Belt’s 2022 season as he struggled with more knee injuries. He never got to 100% health and hit a career-low .213 in 78 games.
He openly discussed the possibility of retirement or moving on from the Giants, given that he knew he’d be a free agent at the end of the year. After he underwent surgery on his knee and felt good, he was confident that he wanted to continue his career.
“Yeah, I would,” Belt said last September on KNBR when asked if he’d play for another team. “It’s not first on my list. I love the Giants organization, that’s where I want to play, but I understand this is a business,” Belt said. “I know that’s cliche but it is. They might be ready to move on and that’s part of it. If that’s the case I’d be ready to play somewhere else, but it’s got to be the right situation and there’s a lot of factors that go into it. We’re just going to have to see when the time comes.”
Belt’s role with the Blue Jays is unclear, given they have perennial All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first. For the Giants, Belt leaves a first base position that likely features a combination of J.D. Davis, Wilmer Flores, LaMonte Wade Jr. and David Villar.
Belt is a Forever Giant, but he won’t be with the Giants forever.