Baggs has the news:
Fontenot signed to one year deal. Keppinger and Whiteside Non-Tendered.
So Jeff Keppinger is gone which is ... well, it's whatever's between "a shame" and "totally meaningless." He's a player who belongs on a 25-man roster. I bet we'll see a bunch of Giants players in 2012 who won't automatically deserve that distinction. That's worth keeping in mind.
But the Giants made the right choice. If they were scared that Fontenot's left-handedness was going to get in the way of Brandon Crawford's left-handedness, they were wise to worry about something else. Fontenot's the better complement to Sanchez and the other thing is oh my sweet crap I've written way too much about Jeff Keppinger and Mike Fontenot today.
It looks like Eli Whiteside isn't going to be back, either. He had a good run. He has a ring, a no-hitter, and a card from the Backup Catcher's Union, Local 939, even though he's not that much different from 60 other catchers playing in AA and AAA.
And he hates Shane Victorino. Never forget. The dude won a ring, caught a no-hitter, and hates Shane Victorino. That's tattoo-worthy, really. But as far as backup catchers go, not so much.
All we are is dust in the wind. But the Giants will have at least one major-league shortstop on the roster next year! Baby steps. And if this is the one freaking time that Bochy sticks with the rookie through thick and thin at the expense of the veteran behind him, well, at least it will be ironic.