Joe Panik reaches one-year deal to avoid arbitration

Joe Panik. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

SAN FRANCISCO — Second baseman Joe Panik has reached agreement on a $3.45 million, one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants to avoid salary arbitration.

The deal came Friday for the 27-year-old Panik, who has been limited by injuries the past three seasons and spent a stint on the concussion list in 2017. San Francisco also announced four others to reach one-year contracts Friday: right-handers Hunter Strickland, Sam Dyson and Cory Gearrin and left-hander Will Smith.

Panik, a 2016 Gold Glover who earned $600,000 last season, batted .288 with 10 homers, 28 doubles and 53 RBIs over 138 games in 2017 as the Giants finished a surprising last place in the NL West and avoided their first 100-loss season since 1985.

He was limited to 127 games in 2016 and dealt with a concussion after a back injury derailed his 2015 season.

Strickland’s biggest moment of 2017 came in a punches-throwing brawl with Nationals star Bryce Harper in late May. He went 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA in 68 appearances.

Dyson closed games down the stretch though manager Bruce Bochy expects Mark Melancon to be back in the ninth-inning role come 2018. He was 4-10 with a 6.09 ERA for Texas and San Francisco. The Giants acquired him from the Rangers in June and Dyson was 3-4 with a 4.03 ERA and 14 saves afterward.

Gearrin went 4-3 with a 1.99 ERA in 68 outings covering 68 innings.

Smith missed the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

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