All has been quiet on the Giants front because their 40-man roster is all but set and fans are waiting patiently for when pitchers and catchers report on February 14th. However, within the last few weeks they picked up Ryan Theriot, who looks like he will be a member of the backup infielder crew along with former teammate Mike Fontenot. Theriot plays second base and shortstop, much like Fontenot, so he should be a adequate backup for both Brandon Crawford and Freddy Sanchez. His numbers aren't amazing, hitting .271 with 47 RBIs and only one homerun in 442 at-bats in 2011. He looks to be a player very similar to Mike Fontenot, but with Freddy Sanchez having regular shoulder problems and Brandon Crawford a wide-eyed youngster, Bochy needs all the options he can get. This also gives Bochy the opportunity to ride the hot hand between Fotenot and Theriot rather than be dependent on one only. It doesn't hurt that Theriot is only getting paid $1.25M with 750K in incentives. 
Unfortunately, with the addition of Ryan Theriot to the roster, someone had to go. The odd-man out this time around was Justin Christian, speedy veteran centerfielder that finished the season with the Giants after getting called up from Triple-A. This comes as sad news because after playing many years in the minors, he finally made his big break with the Giants. Christian showed good potential as a player, he had uncanny base-stealing ability, stealing 50 in the minors in 2011 and could also hit decently for average. On behalf of all Giants fans, I wish him good luck in all of his future baseball ventures (unless he's playing the Giants).As far as Matt Cain's contract goes, it seems to be looking more and more like Cain will not sign a contract extension until next season, when he is finally a free agent. Cain has expressed that despite his love for San Francisco, he wants to test the waters with free agency before he makes a long-term commitment with the Giants.
In further news, the Giants have signed pitcher Clay Hensley for $750K, who had settled into a long-relief role with the Florida Marlins. Although last year was a bad year from him, as shown by the very high 5.19 ERA, he looks to fight for a chance to play for the Giants in Spring Training.
In the following weeks, I will be giving updates on more interesting things, like how players are performing in Spring Training and who looks to make the team. Get ready folks! Baseball season is right around the corner!
