New Giants closer Mark Melancon explains why he picked SF

PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 08: Mark Melancon #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after after defeating the San Diego Padres 2-1 at PNC Park on August 8, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) less PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 08: Mark Melancon #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts after after defeating the San Diego Padres 2-1 at PNC Park on August 8, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. ... more Photo: Justin K. Aller, Getty Images Photo: Justin K. Aller, Getty Images Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close New Giants closer Mark Melancon explains why he picked SF 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

A day after the Giants signed Mark Melancon to be their closer, several critical details about the new closer emerged when he spoke on a conference call Tuesday:

•Melancon’s dog is named Lou Holtz. (“My wife went to Notre Dame.”)

•Melancon and Hunter Pence have done yoga together. (“I think we get a kick out of one another.”)

•And, in a meatier portion of the call, Melancon explained how one former Giants pitcher pointed him in San Francisco’s direction. Ryan Vogelsong did quite a sell job when he and Melancon were teammates in Pittsburgh for the first four months of the 2016 season.

“I would have to say Ryan was very open on how much he liked the Giants’ organization,” Melancon said Tuesday. “He never had a bad thing to say. That was without me prying him because I had no idea this would come up. It speaks volumes and initiated my excitement once I found out they were in the picture and they were excited about me.”

The Giants’ marriage to Melancon follows a long courtship. They tried and failed to acquire him from the Pirates at the trade deadline — he went to the Nationals instead — and the San Francisco front office began courting the 31-year-old right-hander the moment free agency began.

The Giants hosted Melancon in San Francisco weeks ago. Pence, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and George Kontos also made telephone recruiting calls.

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Getting a record contract for a reliever, four years at $62 million, surely highlighted Melancon’s reasons for picking the Giants over the Nationals and other suitors, but he cited other reasons.

“I was so excited because I knew the depth of this team, the kind of individuals they have,” Melancon said. “It was exciting from Day 1.

“It was obvious that this organization knows how to win and that’s their top priority. They’re set up with Gold Glovers down the middle: Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik. Being a groundball guy, that’s a huge priority. Just being on the other side, you could tell how much character there was in the other clubhouse.

“It was the total package, in my opinion.”

Melancon’s contract will be an expensive package for the Giants.

For the third consecutive season, they will be forced to pay a luxury tax for spending more than the collectively bargained threshold. Their payroll will rise above $200 million for the first time and they will have to pay a 50 percent tax on any spending over $195 million.

That figure was settled in the collective bargaining agreement reached last week. The Giants were forced to negotiate with Melancon while not knowing what the threshold would be.

“We made the decision that we’ll be in” the competitive-balance tax, Giants President Larry Baer said. “Mark is worth it, and we’ll pay the tax. One of the prices of getting Mark was paying the tax as well. It was a pretty easy decision because of the value that Mark brings to the Giants. That was really validated when we spent the better part of an afternoon with him when he visited.”

Melancon also said the Giants scored points when they talked about how well they treat players’ families. He and his wife, Mary Catherine, have children ages 5, 2 and 1.

At the winter meetings Tuesday, manager Bruce Bochy said he looks forward to speaking with Melancon. One topic will be how he is used. Melancon rarely has pitched more than one inning in a game.

“There are times when you use a closer maybe for four or five outs, but I need to sit down with him,” Bochy said. “For the most part, he’s going to pitch the ninth. If it’s something that he’s capable of (longer saves) or is comfortable doing it, we would like to stay open-minded about it.”

Melancon will have a former teammate in spring training. The Giants plan to sign right-handed reliever Bryan Morris to a minor-league deal. The former Pirate has a 2.80 ERA in 211 big-league games.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman