Mitch Haniger says he hopes to bring another World Series Championship to San Francisco
Dec 12, 2022, 4:08 PM
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 05: Mitch Haniger #17 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates his home run against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on October 05, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
After coming up short in their push for free agent Aaron Judge, the San Francisco Giants pivoted and signed Mitch Haniger.
Haniger, a Mountain View native, signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Giants. The contract includes an opt-out clause after the 2024 season.
Here comes Haniger ✍️
The #SFGiants have agreed to terms with OF Mitch Haniger pic.twitter.com/3T6PIBKVzh
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) December 7, 2022
The 32-year-old outfielder met with the media on Monday, discussing why he chose the Giants and what he’s looking to accomplish with the team.
“I wanted to go to a club that was eager to win and the team really wanted me and felt like I’d come in and do great things for the team,” Haniger said. “They expressed that interest to me very early on, Farhan [Zaidi, president of baseball operations for the Giants] and Gabe [Kapler, manager of the Giants]. When I met with them and [they] just walked me through the clubhouse, kind of showed me everything, we talked about different things like off-season plans and how they see me as a player and all these different things. Everything seemed to line up really well with what I envisioned and luckily, everything worked out perfect and I couldn’t be more excited to be a Giant. [I’m] hoping to bring another World Series Championship to San Francisco.”
Haniger spent his last five seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He knows there will be some adjusting to a new environment.
“First, it starts with building relationships with guys and then knowing who and how to approach certain guys and help certain guys,” Haniger said.
Growing up in the Bay Area, he said it was always a dream of his to play for the Giants. When asked who his favorite players were growing up, he listed legends like Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. And when he grew up, those names changed to Buster Posey and Tim Lincicum.
“My dad’s side of the family are all huge Giants fans,” Haniger said. “So now they’re not really conflicted rooting for the Mariners. Now it’s pretty easy for them just to only watch the Giants games and root for the Giants.”
