Skip to content

Free agent Pagan won't play this season

Charles LeClaire / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Spring training came and went, and Angel Pagan didn't find a team for 2017. He's perfectly fine with that.

Despite receiving at least two offers before Opening Day, the 35-year-old free agent announced Wednesday that he's decided to not play at all in 2017. Pagan cited both dissatisfaction with contract offers and a desire to remain with his family as the primary reasons for his decision.

"There were many teams interested, but none of the offers that came to the table took me away from home," Pagan told Yamaira Muniz Perez of El Vocero, as translated by theScore.

Pagan had reportedly received firm contract offers near the end of spring training from the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates, though neither obviously came to fruition. It was also thought that he had a deal with the Baltimore Orioles late in the winter, though issues with his physical scuttled that opportunity.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals also reportedly had some interest in signing him.

The late-spring spike in interest he received from teams in need of outfield help coincided with his impressive showing for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic. Pagan helped lead his country back to the WBC final by going 10-for-35 with three doubles and six runs scored over the course of the tournament.

Pagan experienced a bounce-back 2016 campaign with the San Francisco Giants following an injury-plagued 2015. In 129 games with the Giants last year, he slashed .277/.331/.418 with a career-high 12 homers, along with 24 doubles and 15 stolen bases.

Over 11 big-league seasons with the Giants, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets, Pagan owns a .738 OPS, 64 home runs, 55 triples, and 176 stolen bases. He was the Giants' starting center fielder when the team won the 2012 World Series.

MORE STORIES

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox