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Pagan playing it patient

December is probably my least favorite time of the baseball off-season. That’s when I have to worry about all the free agents on my favorite squad ending up in different cities wearing different jerseys.

And no, I’m not going to respond to the rumor about B-Weez wanting to be a Dodger. I won’t address any of that nonsense until some fact comes out of it. Then we can talk about it until the cows come home.

But what might be even more nerve-racking is the waiting game, as free agents that served multiple purposes on a championship-winning team try to be patient as the rest of the market helps to determine their fate.

Enter Angel Pagan.

The center fielder and lead-off man is sitting patiently while other outfielder free agents get their own contracts taken care of. The most notable being B.J. Upton, who’s five-year, $72.25 million deal with the Atlanta Braves was close to being finalized as of Wednesday night.

While that hopefully takes the Braves out of the race to pick up Pagan, Atlanta is still in need of a lead-off hitter and an additional outfielder–two roles that Pagan fulfills.

According to CSN Bay Area’s Andrew Baggarly — yes, he’s my go-to for all things Giants, and he should be yours as well — the Upton deal shapes how the Giants will go about inking a deal for the 30-year-old Pagan.

Pagan has a better on-base percentage than other outfielders on the market.I personally wouldn’t want Shane Victorino in a Giants jersey, especially with how little he produced once he left Philadelphia for LA.

And then there’s that business with Pagan helping the franchise get its second ring in three years and adding to the chemistry in the clubhouse, and having more bandages from sliding in the outfield than anybody else on the planet, and so on.

Baggarly guess-timates San Francisco will offer him a three-year deal. And I don’t know about the rest of you, but three more years of Crazy Horse out in center sounds absolutely splendid.

And that would be one less guy on my favorite baseball team that I would have to worry about leaving.

Last modified November 30, 2012 7:38 pm

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