Posey, Pence, Ellsbury among 81 to strike deals

NEW YORK – N.L. MVP Buster Posey agreed to an $8 million, one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, teammate Hunter Pence got a $13.8 million deal and Jacoby Ellsbury settled with the Boston Red Sox for $9 million on a busy Friday as players and teams swapped figures in salary arbitration.

Eighty-one players reached agreements, leaving 36 headed to hearings next month in Phoenix from among the 133 who filed for arbitration Tuesday. Most of the cases are expected to settle.

San Diego third baseman Chase Headley had the largest request and the biggest spread, asking for $10.3 million while the Padres offered $7,075,000.

Boston reliever Craig Breslow had the slimmest gap. He sought $2,375,000 – that was $50,000 more than the Red Sox offered.

Posey was eligible for arbitration for the first time after hitting an N.L.-leading .336 with 24 homers and 103 RBIs and helping the Giants win their second World Series in three seasons. Posey, who made $615,000 last year, cannot become a free agent until after the 2016 World Series.

Obtained by San Francisco from Philadelphia on July 31, Pence can become a free agent this fall, as can Ellsbury.

Jason Vargas, who the Mariners traded to the Angels in the offseason, settled for $8.5 million.

The high-spending Dodgers settled with catcher A.J. Ellis ($2 million) and right-hander Ronald Belisario ($1.45 million). That raised the Dodgers’ projected payroll to $214.2 million.