The Giants have signed first baseman and outfielder Darin Ruf to a contract extension, according to multiple reports.
Ruf’s new deal is worth two years, $6.25 million with an additional club option in 2024. He’ll make $3 million in 2022 and 2023 and have a club option worth $3.5 million — or a buyout — in 2024. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the news.
San Francisco expects Ruf, 35, to contribute as a regular in the middle of the order this season. The losses of Buster Posey and Kris Bryant make his right-handed power even more crucial to SF’s offense.
In 2021, Ruf broke out by hitting .271 with 16 home runs. He played a career-high 117 games and registered a .904 OPS — his best since his rookie year.
Against left-handed pitchers, Ruf posted an elite 1.007 OPS. He, along with Evan Longoria, Wilmer Flores and Austin Slater, project to be bellwethers for the 2022 Giants that have more pop from lefties.
Ruf began his professional career in the Phillies organization after they drafted him in the 2009 amateur draft. After struggling in 2016 at the big league level, he played in the Korean Baseball League for three years. The Giants noticed his power in the KBO and gave him a chance in 2020.
Before this extension, Ruf was set to hit free agency in 2024 after two more arbitration years. MLB Trade Rumors projected his arbitration settlement to be $2.6 million — less than the $3 million he’ll now earn. Instead of entering the open market in 2024, the Giants will have the option either to keep the slugger for a modest $3.5 million or buy his contract out for $250,000.
On its face, the extension is a win-win for both Ruf and the Giants. Ruf gets a pay raise over what he’d likely be worth in arbitration over the next two years, he can continue to be comfortable with the organization he resuscitated his career for and the Giants have flexibility to reassess Ruf’s future in 2024.