Pirates sign Freese to 2-year extension

PITTSBURGH — David Freese sat on a concrete block in the bowels of Dodger Stadium, expecting the question and wasting little time before answering it. Could he see himself staying in Pittsburgh beyond this year?

“For sure,” he said a little more than a week ago. “Absolutely.”

Having learned from an uncertain winter that became an uneasy spring, Freese cautioned that he wouldn’t worry about the coming offseason. Now, he won’t have to. The Pirates on Monday signed Freese, the veteran infielder and clubhouse leader, to a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2019.

“It’s the Pirates. It’s a team that can compete to win. I think that’s the first thing I thought about when I signed here,” Freese said in front of his locker at PNC Park, hours after officially signing the contract. “I was so ecstatic that I was with a team, considering the situation I was in, that had a realistic shot to win this year and compete in years to come. Then you look around at the guys, from top to bottom, I love every one of them. It’s just a good fit.”

The contract guarantees Freese $11 million over the next two seasons. He will earn $6.25 million in 2017 and $4.25 million in ’18, and the Pirates can either pick up a $6 million option for ’19 or buy out the final year for $500,000.

Last offseason, Freese found himself on the outside looking in, waiting for a match that didn’t come until the Pirates swooped in and signed him to a one-year, $3 million deal. At that time, Pittsburgh considered its roster to be set and viewed Freese as a Trade Deadline expenditure, brought in as a bargain-value luxury to play third and first base.

Freese has proven to be a valuable addition and, in fact, one of the most valuable players on a postseason-hopeful team.

“David has done a terrific job for us on the field and has …

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