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Non-Tender Candidate: Mike Fontenot
In mid-August the Giants struck a deal with the Cubs to acquire infielder Mike Fontenot in exchange for minor league center fielder Evan Crawford. The Cubs chose to part ways with the 30-year-old who was unable to give an encore performance of his strong 2008 campaign. In that season he delivered a slash line of .305/.395/.514 with nine homers. His flat 2010 numbers with the Cubbies (91 OPS+) and the rise of Starlin Castro made Fontenot expendable.
Fontenot didn't set the world on fire at the end of the Giants' regular season either, hitting .282/.329/.310 in 76 plate appearances. While he has the ability to play shortstop and third base, his best position is second base. Second base is, of course, already occupied by Freddy Sanchez, who is under contract through 2011. While he could conceivably be a cheap alternative if the Giants choose not to retain Juan Uribe, his light-hitting and weak play at shortstop make that unlikely.
As for Fontenot, he earned $1MM and will head to arbitration this winter for the second time. While he's not a bad utility option to keep around, the Giants could very well choose to non-tender him. After all, they didn't exactly give up a ton to acquire him this year. What do you think San Francisco will do with Fontenot? Click here to vote, and here to view the results.
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