Pagan lead the league with 15 triples in 2012. Image: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Ken Rosenthal has tweeted that the San Francisco Giants are close to an agreement to re-sign center fielder Angel Pagan.

Pagan, who had been seeking a four-year deal, set career-highs in games played, doubles, triples, extra-base hits, hits, and runs scored in 2012 and had been drawing significant interest by clubs around the league, most notably the Philadelphia Phillies. Terms of the deal have not yet been uncovered.

Rosenthal says (on MLB Network) that the deal is for three or four years and upwards of $10 million per year.

 UPDATE: Tim Brown says the deal is four years and $40 million.

The Braves are still in the mix to re-sign Michael Bourn, but his price tag is thought to be considerably higher than that of Upton. Angel Pagan remains an option, as does Josh Hamilton, though the Braves don’t consider themselves players for Hamilton at this point.

In a market flush with center field talent, it’s Upton who seems to be getting the most attention. Image: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Atlanta is just one of the clubs hot for Upton, who is rumored to be meeting with the Giants at some point this week. Upton has also visited Philadelphia and the Phillies are thought to view Upton as their top choice. Upton has also been mentioned as a fit in TTexas should the Rangers be unable to keep Hamilton.

Washington is also looking at center fielders in case they cannot re-sign first baseman Adam LaRoche, but Upton’s right handed bat wouldn’t be the best fit for a heavily right handed Nats lineup.

The center field shuffle may also feature Shane Victorino, who has drawn interest from as many as a dozen clubs so far. Victorino is widely considered the fifth-best option on the free agent market this year, which shows how deep the pool of center fielders is. Ordinarily, someone in Victorino’s position may have to wait until late in the Winter to sign, but he’s been drawing interest from teams like Cleveland that wouldn’t be involved in the bidding for any of the bigger names this year. If the switch-hitter finds a deal he likes – and he’s looking for a multi-year offer – he may jump at the chance to find regular work quickly.

The Giants are still considered to be the front-runner to keep Pagan, but they’ve already met with Bourn and will meet with Upton. Pagan figures to be the least expensive of the bunch and he’s a known commodity in the San Francisco clubhouse, which makes him their top choice.

Hamilton is a wild card here both because he’s probably a left fielder more than a center fielder at this point and because his contract is likely to reach $25 million per year and that’s enough to price him out of the conversation for most clubs. If he signs with someone like Boston, for example, as a left fielder, that opens up Texas as a team that now enters the fray for Upton or Bourn.

Bourn’s market is less defined than Upton’s so far. He’s a dynamic talent and considered a better all-around player to Upton, but he’s also a few years older and relies on speed more than Upton does. He’s been rumored to be seeking five years and $100 million while Upton’s price range likely lands closer to five years and $75-85 million.

The Braves will wind up signing one of the two, you’d have to figure, but it’s interesting that they seem to prefer Upton to the man who has patrolled center for the past couple of years at Turner Field. The Rangers have also been mentioned more often in connection with Upton and only the Nationals seem to be favoring Bourn between the two.

Bourn signing a deal with Washington would be the best thing that could happen for Upton’s free agency, as then he could sit back and have his choice between as many as three high-revenue club bidding against each other for his services.

If things break just right, Upton could be the biggest winner of a deep and talented center field pool.

Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

It isn’t surprising that the defending champions would be interested in retaining Pagan’s services. The switch-hitter batted .288/.338/.440 in his first year with the Giants, producing a solid .334 wOBA and contributing 4.8 WAR in the process, sixth best among baseball’s qualifying center fielders.

These impressive numbers come after a somewhat disappointing 2011 season, in which Pagan posted just a .306 wOBA and 0.9 WAR in his final season with the Mets. At 31, we’ve probably already seen the best performances of Pagan’s career, and he doesn’t walk as often (7.4% career walk rate) as someone who spends the majority of his time in the leadoff spot should, but he has established himself as a capable hitter with the ability to play a premium defensive position. As long as the Giants don’t get carried away with the annual value, it’s hard to envision a three-year deal hurting them here.

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Oct 28, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan (16) reacts at batting practice prior to game four of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (whose article wasn’t about Pagan at all, but Melky Cabrera), there are some who think Cabrera could wind up staying with the World Champs if only because Pagan’s great play and his age may have priced himself out of San Francisco.

One NL personnel head went as far as to say he thinks Pagan, because of his trajectory and prime center field position, will receive more than Nick Swisher in free agency.

Pagan has the ability to play all three outfield positions, but center is where the money is. Josh Hamilton will get the biggest contract and B. J. Upton and Michael Bourn will surely follow, but Pagan would seem to be next in line; ahead of Shane Victorino. Once Cabrera was suspended, Pagan was inserted into the lead-off role and blossomed into a dynamic all-around player.

Those interested in Pagan will have to hope that his time in San Francisco was more than a short-term flash of greatness, as he’s shown at times when playing for the Cubs and the Mets. Pagan is younger than Victorino and plays a better centerfield. He’s also a more dangerous hitter at this point in his career. A club looking to fill a hole in center could do much worse and Victorino’s old club, the Phillies, are expected to be shopping for a center fielder this winter.

May 7, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Pablo Sandoval’s initial time table for a return was between four and six weeks. He has been out for about four weeks now if his hand feels better and no setbacks occur for the 3B.

He was given an extension in the offseason that was team-friendly after bringing his weight down and managing to be worth a terrific 5.5 WAR in 2011. It was visible that the weight changes had a huge impact, as Sandoval looked great in the field for the first time in his career. He had a 142 wRC+ last season with good power and kept his batting average as high as usual.

Arguably the Giants best hitter, Sandoval is projected to be worth 5-5.5 WAR this season, as he is one of the elite players in the game and showed it last season. Having him back would be huge for the Giants, who are currently second in the division at 28-24. Melky Cabrera has been a machine this season and the Jonathan Sanchez trade couldn’t have worked better for them (they were viewed as winners at the time as well), and he could very well notch 200 hits.

In 104 plate appearances this year, Pablo Sandoval has had a 148 wRC+ and continued his impeccable 2011 form. He has been their second best hitter this season, and it will be great for the Giants to have him back with Buster Posey and Angel Pagan also hitting well in the team’s line-up. Sandoval makes this team significantly better with his offensive ability and much-improved defense.

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