SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) – The San Francisco Giants agreed to a $1.05 million, one-year contract with infielder Mike Fontenot, keeping him over second baseman Jeff Keppinger.

Keppinger and backup catcher Eli Whiteside weren’t offered contracts by San Francisco on Monday night.

Other arbitration-eligible players who were tendered contracts were two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, fellow starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong, relievers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla, infielder Emmanuel Burriss, third baseman Pablo Sandoval and outfielders Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan and Nate Schierholtz.

Among general manager Brian Sabean’s priorities is locking up Lincecum and Matt Cain for the long haul.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

Brian Sabean’s office is connected to the San Francisco Giants’ clubhouse, only a matter of feet from where manager Bruce Bochy prepares for games. The close proximity makes for regular planning meetings, before first pitch and often well into the night after the final out.

CEO Larry Baer is committed to maintaining that continuity with his club, and took a step Tuesday by giving both the general manager and manager contract extensions taking them through the 2013 season with club options for 2014.

”They work exceptionally well together. That’s a key relationship,” Baer said. ”I strongly believe Brian and Bruce are the best at their craft in the game, and their track record shows that.”

The 55-year-old Sabean is the longest-tenured GM in baseball and has said he would like to stay put in San Francisco for the rest of his career. He became the Giants’ GM in 1996 after three years in player personnel. He was in the Yankees organization from 1985-92 as a scout, scouting director and player development director.

Sabean has a busy stretch ahead before spring training begins in February. On Wednesday, his wife, Amanda, is scheduled to give birth to the couple’s second son – the sixth son for Sabean. Then, baseball’s winter meetings begin next week in Dallas.

The top priority is upgrading the offense while leaving enough payroll flexibility to lock up star pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain for what Sabean hopes is the long haul.

”Anything we’re going to do has to fit into a certain price point and give us enough flexibility to do other things,” Sabean said. ”Pitching is our gold standard and we’ll do all that we can to take care of that commodity first.”

Bobby Evans, the team’s vice president of baseball operations and Sabean’s right-hand man, said there have been preliminary conversations with the pitchers’ representatives that he categorized as ”an exchange of ideas and numbers.” Evans said he expects Lincecum, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, to be open to a long-term deal beyond two years.

”I don’t know how productive it is to get into specifics,” Evans said. ”I don’t thinks he’s closed off to anything short or long, per se. I think he’s very comfortable with short, but don’t think he’s closed off to anything long. I think he’s still open to that.”

Sabean hired the 56-year-old Bochy away from the rival San Diego Padres in 2007 to replace Felipe Alou.

”I think we have a mutual respect. We listen to each other, Brian for me is always available,” Bochy said. ”We communicate so much during the course of the season. We stay in the same building. There’s never any kind of distance or separation.”

Yet there wasn’t immediate success when Bochy arrived, and both men received harsh criticism along the way for moves they made and those they didn’t.

That all changed when they led the club to an improbable World Series championship in 2010 with a band of ”castoffs and misfits” as Bochy called them.

Baer had expected to get deals done during the offseason to keep both men around for the near future. Sabean and Bochy were instrumental in the team’s World Series title, the first for the franchise since moving West in 1958.

”I don’t take anything for granted. I’m thankful for their renewed commitment,” Bochy said.

The Giants went 86-76 for second place in the NL West and missed the playoffs this year, when they dealt with devastating season-ending injuries to 2010 NL Rookie of the Year catcher Buster Posey and second baseman Freddy Sanchez.

Baer recently assumed top decision-making duties from outgoing managing partner Bill Neukom, saying, ”Brian has seen the operation through all sorts of environments.”

That included the challenging days with home run king Barry Bonds and the move from Candlestick Park to the waterfront spot at 12-year-old AT&T Park.

”I don’t take the extension lightly,” Sabean said. ”Baseball’s a tough game to succeed in. I’m really thankful that I’m one of the original employees of the ownership group and as the ownership group changed or morphed, they recognized our commitment and hard work.”

All-Star slugger Pablo Sandoval is still deciding whether to spend a short stint in his native Venezuela, where Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted earlier this month and then rescued. Sandoval is training for a second straight offseason in Arizona after losing close to 40 pounds last winter.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Brian Sabean’s office is connected to the San Francisco
Giants’ clubhouse, only a matter of feet from where manager Bruce Bochy prepares
for games. The close proximity makes for regular planning meetings, before first
pitch and often well into the night after the final out.

CEO Larry Baer is committed to maintaining that continuity with his club,
and took a step Tuesday by giving both the general manager and manager contract
extensions taking them through the 2013 season with club options for 2014.

“They work exceptionally well together. That’s a key relationship,” Baer
said. “I strongly believe Brian and Bruce are the best at their craft in the
game, and their track record shows that.”

The 55-year-old Sabean is the longest-tenured GM in baseball and has said he
would like to stay put in San Francisco for the rest of his career. He became
the Giants’ GM in 1996 after three years in player personnel. He was in the
Yankees organization from 1985-92 as a scout, scouting director and player
development director.

Sabean has a busy stretch ahead before spring training begins in February.
On Wednesday, his wife, Amanda, is scheduled to give birth to the couple’s
second son—the sixth son for Sabean. Then, baseball’s winter meetings begin
next week in Dallas.

The top priority is upgrading the offense while leaving enough payroll
flexibility to lock up star pitchers Tim Lincecum(notes) and Matt Cain(notes) for what Sabean
hopes is the long haul.

“Anything we’re going to do has to fit into a certain price point and give
us enough flexibility to do other things,” Sabean said. “Pitching is our gold
standard and we’ll do all that we can to take care of that commodity first.”

Bobby Evans, the team’s vice president of baseball operations and Sabean’s
right-hand man, said there have been preliminary conversations with the
pitchers’ representatives that he categorized as “an exchange of ideas and
numbers.” Evans said he expects Lincecum, the two-time NL Cy Young Award
winner, to be open to a long-term deal beyond two years.

“I don’t know how productive it is to get into specifics,” Evans said. “I
don’t thinks he’s closed off to anything short or long, per se. I think he’s
very comfortable with short, but don’t think he’s closed off to anything long. I
think he’s still open to that.”

Sabean hired the 56-year-old Bochy away from the rival San Diego Padres in
2007 to replace Felipe Alou.

“I think we have a mutual respect. We listen to each other, Brian for me is
always available,” Bochy said. “We communicate so much during the course of
the season. We stay in the same building. There’s never any kind of distance or
separation.”

Yet there wasn’t immediate success when Bochy arrived, and both men received
harsh criticism along the way for moves they made and those they didn’t.

That all changed when they led the club to an improbable World Series
championship in 2010 with a band of “castoffs and misfits” as Bochy called
them.

Baer had expected to get deals done during the offseason to keep both men
around for the near future. Sabean and Bochy were instrumental in the team’s
World Series title, the first for the franchise since moving West in 1958.

“I don’t take anything for granted. I’m thankful for their renewed
commitment,” Bochy said.

The Giants went 86-76 for second place in the NL West and missed the
playoffs this year, when they dealt with devastating season-ending injuries to
2010 NL Rookie of the Year catcher Buster Posey(notes) and second baseman Freddy
Sanchez(notes).

Baer recently assumed top decision-making duties from outgoing managing
partner Bill Neukom, saying, “Brian has seen the operation through all sorts of
environments.”

That included the challenging days with home run king Barry Bonds and the
move from Candlestick Park to the waterfront spot at 12-year-old AT&T Park.

“I don’t take the extension lightly,” Sabean said. “Baseball’s a tough
game to succeed in. I’m really thankful that I’m one of the original employees
of the ownership group and as the ownership group changed or morphed, they
recognized our commitment and hard work.”

All-Star slugger Pablo Sandoval(notes) is still deciding whether to spend a short
stint in his native Venezuela, where Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos(notes) was abducted
earlier this month and then rescued. Sandoval is training for a second straight
offseason in Arizona after losing close to 40 pounds last winter.

Published: Nov. 29, 2011 at 1:40 PM

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29 (UPI) — Manager Bruce Bochy and General Manager Brian Sabean have agreed to contract extensions with the San Francisco Giants, the team said Tuesday.

Financial terms of the deals weren’t released, but the agreements will keep Bochy and Sabean under contract with the Giants through the 2013 season. The team has an option for 2014.

“Brian and Bruce are certainly two of the finest professionals at their respective positions in all of baseball,” Giants President Larry Baer said in a statement. “They have effectively built and fostered a winning tradition at all levels of our organization.

“I have no doubt that they will achieve continued success for the Giants in the coming years and beyond.”

Sabean has been with the Giants since 1996, making him the longest-tenured general manager in baseball. In 2010, San Francisco was voted the Baseball America Organization of the Year.

Bochy just completed his fifth season as the Giants’ manager. He is 409-401 in that span and won the World Series in 2010. He previously managed the San Diego Padres for 12 seasons. His overall managerial record is 1,360-1,376.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 26 (UPI) — San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow has been receiving holiday wishes from the U.S. public after spending Thanksgiving with his family.

Stow’s family Web site this weekend displayed a group shot taken at an undisclosed rehabilitation facility with Stow in the center, still confined to a wheelchair but looking happy and healthy as he continues to recover from a serious beating in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Times said.

The responses posted by visitors to the Web site applauded Stow for maintaining his dignity and resolve.

“The real man here is Bryan, because he is not letting this keep him down. To beat someone into a coma, you just need an evil spirit, but to recover from this evil act, it takes great strength and great resolve,” one post said.

Stow suffered a serious head injury in the alleged assault last spring and was moved from a San Francisco hospital to a rehab center just last month.

The San Francisco Chronicle said Stow has been making steady progress in his occupational and speech rehabilitation.

SAN FRANCISCO —
The San Francisco Giants have declined to offer salary arbitration to free-agent outfielders Cody Ross and Pat Burrell.

The moves Wednesday mean the Giants will not receive compensation if Ross or Burrell sign with another team.

The Giants still could re-sign Ross, but Burrell has said he will likely retire because his troublesome right foot hasn’t healed. Burrell batted .230 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 92 games last season.

Ross batted .240 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs last season. He won the NL championship series MVP in 2010 after being acquired off waivers from Florida late in the season.

The Giants also were unable to offer arbitration to outfielder Carlos Beltran under terms of his contract.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)