The Giants have signed backup catcher Eli Whiteside to a one-year deal after declining to offer him a contract Monday, avoiding arbitration and making him a free agent. Whiteside will receive $600,000 if he is on the major league roster and $175,000 if in the minors. He provided key innings for the 2010 World Series champions this past season after reigning National League Rookie of the Year Buster Posey went down with a season-ending leg injury in a May 25 home-plate collision.