Giants, Eli Whiteside Nearing Deal

The Giants are nearing a deal with catcher Eli Whiteside, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). San Francisco non-tendered the 32-year-old Pro Star Management client Monday.

Whiteside started playing regularly when Buster Posey's season ended this past May, posting a modest .197/.264/.310 line in 236 plate appearances. Had the Giants tendered Whiteside a contract, he would have been in line for a 2012 salary in the $700K range, according to our projections. He figures to compete with Hector Sanchez and Chris Stewart for playing time behind Posey in 2012.