Sweet catch for the G-Men

The Giants signed three-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Mike Matheny to a three-year deal today.

With the signing of Matheny following hard on the acquisitions of superstar reliever Armando Benitez and perennial Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel, no one can say Giants GM Brian Sabean is letting moss grow on his side of the oak tree.

Matheny's not much of an offensive player — he's a lifetime .239 hitter who averages five home runs per season — but he's a terrific defensive catcher who works well with pitchers. That's more than one can say for the Gyros' incumbent backstop, A.J. Pierzynski, a solid batsman but a sloppy fielder. Worse, A.J.'s a self-important slacker with lousy work habits, who immediately alienated most of the pitching staff upon his arrival last year. He and starter Brett Tomko engaged in an infamous dustup when Tomko couldn't pry Pierzynski loose from a card game to study film on opposing hitters. Inside sources say that Tomko was only the most public of several pitchers who became fed up with A.J.'s attitude.

With Matheny on board, Sabean will likely nontender Pierzynski, who is arbitration-eligible this offseason. Good riddance.