Giants Bring Back Eli Whiteside For A Year
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The San Francisco Giants signed backup catcher Eli Whiteside to a one-year deal Saturday after declining to offer him a contract Monday, avoiding arbitration and making him a free agent.
Whiteside will receive $600,000 if he is on the major league roster and $175,000 if in the minors. He provided key innings for the 2010 World Series champions this past season after reigning NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey went down with a season-ending leg injury in a May 25 home-plate collision with Florida's Scott Cousins.
The 32-year-old Whiteside batted .197 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 82 games. It's unclear where he will fit in considering San Francisco also has capable catchers Chris Stewart and Hector Sanchez on the roster.
Giants general manager Brian Sabean has now retained much of the roster from a team that finished second to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West last season. He is committed to winning with a talented pitching staff again.
The club has agreed to terms with reliever Guillermo Mota on a $1 million, one-year contract to bring him back for a third season, pending a physical.
In late October, San Francisco gave left-handed reliever Javier Lopez an $8.5 million, two-year contract and also picked up the $5 million contract option for fellow lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt.
On Monday night, the Giants tendered contracts to two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, fellow starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and relievers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
