The Giants agreed to a two-year, $6.25 million contract with the first baseman/outfielder. Darin Roof, tweets Jeff Passan of ESPN. The contract contains a club option for a third season, which would be Ruf’s first potential year as a free agent.
Roof, represented by Vanguard Sports, is projected to make $2.6 million through arbitrage, according to MLBTR contestant Matt Schwartz. He was due to receive another promotion through arbitration in 2023 before becoming a free agent in the 2023-24 off-season. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Roof would make $3 million this season and next, adding that the 2024 option was valued at $3.5 million and included a buyout of $250,000.
Originally signed by the Giants after a strong performance in the Korea Baseball Organization, Ruf became a key weapon against the left hand serve. The former Phillies batter wiped out left-handers, hitting .275/.390/.579 clips with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and triples in 205 plate appearances. The result is 157 wRC+, indicating Roof was 57% better than the average hitter in the league against left-handers, ranking 12th among 168 qualified hitters.
This is not to say that Roof had problems with being right-handed, or that he should be used solely as a platoon player, to be precise. He doesn’t fool around against one-handed opponents either, as evidenced by a strong hitting .270/.372/.461 in 207 matches against them. It’s not the level of dominance he had over left-handers, but Ruf’s performance was strong enough to make manager Gabe Kapler feel good plugging him into the roster just about any day. And with the arrival of a National League-nominated striker, Roof is looking to get more opportunities than in the past.
It’s a very affordable deal for the Giants and reflects Roof’s atypical career. Ruf didn’t see his first long-term action in MLB until his 26-year season, back in 2013, and he didn’t even reach arbitrage until last year, his campaign at age 34. Rufus is 35 years old and will be 36 by the end of July, which means he won’t complete the required six years of service to become a free agent until he’s 37. He’s made several million overseas by cutting .313/. .404/.564 over three seasons with the Samsung Lions, but given the late nature of his breakthrough, it’s no wonder he’s turning down a free agent year at a relatively modest pace. This new two-year contract effectively doubles Ruf’s career earnings, which certainly makes him a particularly enjoyable signing at 35.