The Giants announced Monday that they have fired president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Franchise icon Buster Posey will serve as the team’s new president of baseball operations, the team announced. Posey is one of six on the Giants’ board of directors and will now oversee the roster’s construction as well. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that Zaidi, who was under contract through the 2025 season (with a 2026 option), was being dismissed.
“We appreciate Farhan’s commitment to the organization and his passion for making an impact in our community during six years with the Giants,” chairman Greg Johnson said in statement within today’s press release. “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped, and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary. While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships. I wish Farhan and his family nothing but the best moving forward.
“As we look ahead, I’m excited to share that Buster Posey will now take on a greater role as the new President of Baseball Operations. We are looking for someone who can define, direct and lead this franchise’s baseball philosophy and we feel that Buster is the perfect fit. Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident that he and [manager] Bob Melvin will work together to bring winning baseball to San Francisco.”
The writing has in many ways been on the wall for Zaidi for some time now. The 2024 season was viewed as a pivotal one for the Giants, who unsuccessfully pursued Shohei Ohtani over the offseason and instead wound up signing Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler and Jordan Hicks as they looked to get back on track after consecutive losing seasons. The Giants won 107 games under Zaidi in 2021 but have not had a winning season under his watch otherwise. The lack of consistent results prompted many to wonder whether Zaidi could survive another sub-.500 season.
The most telltale portent for change, however, came late this summer, when the Giants announced a six-year, $151MM contract extension for the aforementioned Chapman. Signing the star third baseman on the heels of a down season proved to be a home run swing for Zaidi & Co., as Chapman rebounded with one of the best seasons of his career. However, The Athletic reported not long after the extension was completed that Posey had stepped in to run point on negotiations after ownership had become “frustrated” with the lack of early progress in talks.
The Giants had plenty of individual player acquisition successes under Zaidi’s watch. San Francisco became a destination for pitchers looking to turn their careers around, as veterans like Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Anthony DeSclafani, Drew Smyly, Drew Pomeranz and Derek Holland all strong seasons at Oracle Park before cashing in on more lucrative deals (Holland’s in a one-year return to the Giants that did not pan out as well). Gausman’s resurgence, in particular, proved to be a major win for the Giants. He thrived on a one-year deal during the Covid-shortened 2020 season, accepted a qualifying offer that winter, and was dominant in a full season in ’21.
That list of successes is also emblematic of another hallmark of Zaidi’s tenure, however: an aversion to long-term spending. The Giants opted to let Gausman walk in free agency rather than commit long-term. His five-year, $110MM deal with the Blue Jays has been a bargain for Toronto thus far. Similarly, the Giants let Carlos Rodon depart after his own tremendous season in orange and black, although the early returns on his six-year deal with the Yankees might have the Giants feeling better about that decision than the Gausman one. The Giants did pay up to keep DeSclafani, who returned on a three-year, $36MM contract after a terrific 2021 season, but that contract almost immediately went south.
On the position-player side of things, the Giants have struggled to attract hitters to their spacious park and to develop key contributors. Zaidi’s early tenure included some unmitigated successes in terms of bargain bin shopping. He acquired Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Donovan Solano, Thairo Estrada and Darin Ruf for next to nothing. All became vital regulars or role players for several years. But the Giants were also unable to land big fish like Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, while the attempted 13-year deal with Carlos Correa was scuttled by medical concerns.
The Giants have regularly pivoted to Plan B or Plan C after missing on big-name free agents — as they did last year following Ohtani’s deal in L.A. — and have a much spottier track record on those deals. Soler, Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto all fell well shy of being the middle-of-the-order presences the Giants hoped. It’s too early to tell how the aforementioned six-year deal for Lee will play out after his season ended early due to shoulder surgery, but the sheer magnitude of that $113MM contract was a surprise to some in the industry.
The missteps weren’t all limited to the team’s pursuit of big bats. San Francisco has also had its share of misses on smaller-scale free agent investments; Tommy La Stella, Luke Jackson, Ross Stripling and Tom Murphy have all fallen shy of expectations. La Stella was released before the final season of his three-year deal. Jackson and Stripling were shipped out in salary-dump deals. Murphy’s signing — which helped push Joey Bart out of town and over to Pittsburgh, where he enjoyed a breakout year — has been a flop thus far and could make him a salary dump candidate himself this winter.
Posey will now be tasked with engineering a turnaround at the stadium he called home for the entirety of his 12-year playing career. His instantaneous ascension to president of baseball operations is far more surprising than Zaidi’s departure. Posey joined the Giants’ board of directors barely two years ago, when he purchased a minority stake in the team.
At the time, it seemed to be little more than a ceremonial move from a beloved player. Posey even stated at the time of the announcement that he was not taking on any type of front office role and that he was viewing his new role as “another opportunity for me to learn more about the game, more about the business and really commit my time to an organization in a city that I’ve grown to love.”
What happens from here remains to be seen, of course. Johnson’s statement did not indicate that general manager Pete Putila is in any danger of being dismissed, though even if he stays on board, he’d be second on the team’s baseball operations hierarchy, behind Posey. Longtime assistant general manager Jeremy Shelley remains with the club as well. Still, today’s press release did include a reference to conducting searches for any “open positions.” Virtually any change at the top of a baseball operations department is eventually accompanied by some personnel changes down the ladder, so it remains possible there are still some alterations to the tapestry of the Giants’ front office that have yet to come to light.
Posey, of course, has no baseball operations experience outside of whatever interactions occurred between him and Chapman earlier this summer. He’s likely been at least tangentially involved in some roster construction elements since purchasing his stake in the club, but he’s never held any sort of baseball operations title and more or less went directly from the team’s everyday catcher to minority owner, purchasing his share of the club less than one calendar year after playing his final game.
It’s rare, albeit not unprecedented in today’s game, for someone to be tabbed as a baseball operations leader with zero prior baseball operations experience. Agents Brodie Van Wagenen and Dave Stewart (a former big leaguer himself, of course) were hired as the general managers for the Mets and Diamondbacks within the past decade, respectively. Neither lasted more than a few seasons in their posts, however. Current Rangers general manager Chris Young pitched in the majors until 2017 and was working in the league’s central offices as MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations, initiatives and strategy when Texas hired him as GM under then-president Jon Daniels.
Posey’s ascension to the top of a baseball operations department is far more sudden and rapid than any of those executives. Van Wagenen had been one of the highest-profile agents in the sport for more than a decade, negotiating countless contracts — albeit on the other side of the proverbial table. Stewart was retired as a player for nearly 20 years and, like Van Wagenen, had been representing players for quite some time, giving him plenty of familiarity with that side of the game. Young wasn’t much further removed from his playing days but had spent two years working in the league’s central offices. He was also hired as the No. 2 executive on the Rangers’ front office chart and spent more than two years working under Daniels before being promoted to the top post in Arlington.
Posey will now be tasked with revamping a Giants roster that has regularly lacked star power, relied heavily on platoons and has too often been permeated by aging players with waning athleticism. He’ll simultaneously need to build up a farm system that’s regarded as lackluster and work to improve a player development operation that has frequently seen top prospects either underperform or fizzle out. Homegrown talents like Logan Webb, Kyle Harrison, Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald and Patrick Bailey all look like viable core pieces. But a number of the team’s other top prospects over the years — Bart, Luis Matos, Marco Luciano, Hunter Bishop, Will Bednar, Casey Schmitt — have not developed as hoped.
The $151MM Chapman extension signals that even with this change in baseball operations, the Giants aren’t planning on taking any kind of step back. They’ll look to get back into competition in the National League West next year and do so alongside a perennial Dodgers powerhouse, an ascendant Padres club and a D-backs squad that went to the World Series as recently as last season. It’s a tall order for any executive, let alone a rookie one — though Posey’s last rookie season certainly produced strong results.
ohyeadam
Did not see this coming!
Michol
Bottom line is his draftees havent developed at all unfortunately… 🙁
Rsox
No what we see is a guy who has spent a fairly large amount of money over the years for a lot of swing and miss, station-to-station offense, see no development from draft picks and make poor decisions on pitching like letting Gausman walk but signing DeSclafani to a 3 year deal. Race has nothing to do with underperformance
Gwynning
I chuckled at Chaim Breslow, not gunna lie YBC!
Pete'sView
You must have been asleep not to “see this coming.”
Michol
My issue is Posey hire. Yes, he was legendary player, but ti run thw whole show? What a joke This was image hire. A hire that fans, FAs and their families, agents can relate to I suppose… posey has long way to go to match Zaidi…
2014giants
Uhm match 5 out of 6 losing seasons! Come on, and everyone said the same thing about lynch!
Sabean Wannabe
Maybe it is an image hire but maybe that’s a good thing. Putila and Shelley can do all the number crunching and recommendations and Posey can provide organizational direction and close deals. Clearly Zaidi simply wasn’t closing on FAs. Not suggesting its an easy thing to do but maybe “playing for Buster” will help get more players interested in SF.
Brick House Coffee Tables Inc
From afar, it seems like Posey will start off delegating more than Bloom did but will be instrumental in setting philosophy and negotiating major acquisitions and extensions.
spliffTONE
@Sabean Wannabe: Not closing on deals? You’re kidding yourself if you ever thought there was a real chance of Judge or Ohtani coming to San Francisco.
Doral Silverthorn
lol, the dude caused every play at the plate to be reviewed and scrutinized by every human being watching that particular game and he’s being lauded as some returning hero. Guy still hasn’t talked to the kid who trucked him, legally, at the plate. Even more reason to dislike the Giants.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Why? Farhan was a Canadian who went to MIT. Not a bilingual coach or scout with decades of baseball experience.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Major_League_…
ohyeadam
Not surprised to see Zaidi fired but to replace him immediately with Posey, or anyone really, is an odd move. Stepping in for ownership on a big extension isn’t the same thing as running the org. Zaidi really only had that one lucky year. Which oddly enough was Buster’s last hurrah
stymeedone
What happened to the requirement for minority opportunities? Seems considering a minority only occurs if its convenient.
Sabean Wannabe
Posey is a straight, white male in San Francisco….he is a minority.
mlb fan
“Minority opportunities”…Hiring someone primarily because of their skin color is even more offensive than NOT hiring the same person because of their skin color.
Hiring someone primarily due to their skin color suggests that person(or entity/company)believes in a particularly high level of racial superiority.
And promotes the idea that certain skin colors or races will never be able to achieve on their own, without lowered standards and requirements.
Michol
What experience does Posey have to be President? Yes, he has experience on the field…. and as ambassador of the game….
The_M4N
I’m a minority, and to me this concept is repulsive. Consider me on the merits, achievements, and abilities, not on an unalianable trait. I don’t want to be anyone’s token, just rewarded for my hard work.
dubtastic
@ The_M4N Amen to that!
JoeBrady
I don’t want to be anyone’s token,
=====================
While I agree, I did apply for a job with a Jewish organization, as well as a Woman’s organization, hoping that maybe being Catholic and a guy might help with one or the other.
I am real good at my job, but I was not an exact match for either job, so I didn’t care. But I also thought it might be interesting if I qualified as a token.
Doral Silverthorn
The M4n: this Hispanic agrees. I’m no one’s token. If I’m qualified and they hire someone else, they lost out on a good employee. I’ll go somewhere I’m wanted. Enough pride and skills to work anywhere I choose. HMU for the electrical work, lol.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Styme
The Rooney rule is football
MLB Top 100 Commenter
MLB
Hiring someone due to the color of their skin can only be viewed in the context of past racism. Especially in the context of where there are multiple qualified applicants. When young kids see a similar colored person is attaining a certain role it is empowering.
At what age did you first realize that most band-aids are made in “flesh color for white people” but that black and brown band-aids are rarely sold?
It was time to fire Farhan, maybe even overdue, but bashing all varieties of affirmative action in a more general sense does not belong on this site. Does Posey speak Spanish?
Not a clever name
The Giants have sucked under Farhad, let the dodgers worry about hiring a minority. I want to see a winning team competing every year, I don’t care if Marvin the Martin is in charge.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Sabean
Farhan is a Canadian, right?
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Clarence Thomas for GM ! Not Supreme Court !
The_M4N
@MLB Top 100, very interesting point on race. It appears that even band-aids are now intentionally racist. Who would’ve thunk it? Also, very interesting to tell us what belongs and what doesn’t. About affirmative action, it was a band-aid adopted by the SCOTUS emporarily. (Read Justice Sandra Day O’Connor opinion). Forty years after is sufficient. “The way to sop discrimination in the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” Finally, Posey is an employer in Ameruca, it’s up to the players to learn the language. As Mo Rivera said, doing so is more advantageous and profitable for the player. Posey learning Spanish tales a job away from a Spanish speaking person. How do you reconcile that with your views?
The_M4N
That’s the approach we have to take. Don’t get me wrong, there are still injustices, and we still need to overcome us: and I am certain we will. I just don’t think AA is the answer. An often overlooked effect of AA is that it minimizes our accomplishments. We constantly have to overcome the notion that we are not as good and that we are just a DEI hire.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
I should have added an indent as to the part about asking if Posey spoke Spanish. I would think that would be very helpful for a catcher who had several Spanish-speaking pitchers over the years.
youtube.com/watch?v=1vgJQyqWybo
I surely agree that learning English is more advantageous and profitable for the player. But if a team had a Spanish-speaking GM, it could be highly advantageous for a team seeking to recruit new young prospects. Similarly a GM who has Dominican roots. That is not affirmative action, it is smart recruiting.
Switching to a Puerto Rican player for a moment, did you know that Heliot Ramos’ last name is “LeBron”? And he speaks articulate English, thank you.
Zerbs63
@ Sabean that was so perfect and accurate.
Redwolves3
Some may question naming Buster as POBO. He may not have previous operations experience but has been a player, gained valuable experience in ownership & well respected & a great baseball mind. Plus he’s ready to make Giants relevant once again.
Buster certainly can’t do any worse than Zaidi.
spliffTONE
@Redwolves3: Posey can absolutely do worse than Zaidi (even if that’s a relatively low bar to clear)
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Agree. Farhan sucked, but they still can do worse.
This is a loaded division, they will not change the hierarchy in less than three years without increasing payroll by fifty percent.
Doral Silverthorn
said no one with half a clue
As soon as Posey signed Chapman, he was a lame duck President.
This one belongs to the Reds
You had a feeling after they had Posey negotiating earlier while Zaidi was still employed.
pohle
good on you. in hindsight it was the next logical step but i hadnt quite taken it that far, although its not like ive spent a lot of time thinking about the giants recently.
bkbk
Sure seems like Posey Littlefingered Zaidi. Feels like the whole thing started a little unsememly.
Fred
Bruh did you see Posey’s career pitch framing? Dude has hugefingers.
Gwynning
They now play next to San Francisco Baelish
MLB Top 100 Commenter
And recruit from Chunichi Dragons?
LordD99
Always good to name someone with no experience running baseball operations to run baseball operations.
ryanisntcreative
He’s been involved in ownership for a few years, and seems to be universally liked and respected in the baseball world. I’m sure he’ll lean heavily on GM/AGMs and their lieutenants.
I was never the biggest Farhan hater, but hard to imagine Buster would do much worse.
julyn82001
Well, Buster earned it experience with the role or… Not…
Diggerydoo
They all are forgetting Vogt and it’s only his 1st year 🙂
Posey will move towards ball and less towards the accounts. Will be soft at 1st and dismal later on, but fun for next year 🙂
luvochka
It all depends on the ability to manage, to know that you’re not the best at everything but put people who are better than you at the positions where they can excel, and then not micromanage. Personally I think Posey can do that.
norcalblue
Watch. if he lasts 5 years, it’s gonna be real ugly.
User 1939973770
Always good to have someone with no experience doing a particular job to do that particular job.
What could go wrong?
BaseballisLife
Would have to double check, but I believe that other than Dombrowski and Anthopolous, none of the other POBO/GMs in the playoffs had experience at the job before their current job. I could be wrong about that since I didn’t check first.
Oops, Stearns if Mets make it.
Fever Pitch Guy
Life – Pretty sure Andrew Friedman’s team is in the playoffs.
Pete'sView
BaseballisLife –
Re-read the post. Former players (like Chris Young/Rangers) have moved into the POBO spot.
Pads Fans
FP, was just about to say that. about Friedman. 1/3 of the playoff Pobo’s had GM experience before their current team.
Pads Fans
Seemed to me that BIL was responding to CKC’s comment that “Always good to have someone with no experience doing a particular job to do that particular job.”
With this commenting threading though, it could be any of the posts above.
gbs42
Pads Fans, it’s amazing how many people reply to other comments with no indication of which comment they’re responding to.
Fever Pitch Guy
gbs – I would LOVE to see a reply feature here where you can auto-quote the post to which you’re responding when you click reply. It can get really, really confusing trying to figure out whose message is being responded to.
At least you and I make clear to whom we are replying.
Fever Pitch Guy
Pads – Yeah I can see ck’s point about the value of experience, but everyone has to start somewhere right?
And working your way up the totem pole counts towards some experience in my book.
Pads Fans
FP, I agree with you. Everyone has to start somewhere getting experience at that level.
m34josh
Well, he is replacing an experienced one who got horrific results, so at least it can’t go any worse
SFBay314
You are right only people that have done something should be able to do that thing forever.
No learning or experimenting!!!
Moonlight Graham
Posey played the game at the highest level and has been part of ownership for a couple years now. He has a tremendous amount of experience to know what the job entails.
Meanwhile, Zaidi didn’t play beyond an independent league during his high school years while growing up in the Philippines. Baseball isn’t in his bones the same way it’s in Posey’s. And while Posey isn’t an MIT grad like Zaidi, he’s still a pretty intelligent guy.
stymeedone
Chances are Posey relied on his agent for the one contract he has had experience with, his own. Having played the game helps when doing an on-field job, but has little to do with stadium operations and the intricacies of contracts and long term financial planning. Best of luck to him, because luck is what he’ll have to rely on.
Pads Fans
Posey is a heck of a businessman. He turned a $10 million investment and $2.25 million worth of endorsements that he took ownership shares instead of the cash from Body Armor into $800 million when the company was sold. Which he then turned around and invested in the best investment available today, ownership of of a MLB team. Minority ownership, but ownership.
Doesn’t mean he will be a good MLB executive on the money side, but many organizations have one person handling the baseball operations and another the financial end with many AGM’s to handle specific duties like contract negotiations.
What you can be sure of is that other players will respect Posey more than most GMs because he has been in their shoes so to speak.
Michol
Exactly! It’s not that easy…
Ann Porkins
This is certainly a risk, but I’m guessing Posey will be more hands-off in minor transactions and the day-to-day. Most POBO’s got the promotion by being a GM and working their way through the front office, but there was a time when GM itself was the top job. Posey can more or less install that kind of structure — a structure where the GM handles the minutiae of baseball ops, and Posey is the one orchestrating all the personnel. He will certainly bring better communication (with players and fans) and he can be a huge asset in courting big ticket players. I imagine the team will see players like human beings a bit more than Farhan, who seemed to ignore the bedside manner in favor of treating players like spreadsheets.
But if the idea is for Posey to step into a more “POBO is really just the super-GM” role that has become more prevalent in recent years, this would be a very strange move. Trying to force Posey to become the next Farhan would reek of desperately overcorrecting.
gbs42
D99, everyone has a first time doing a job. He needs to surround himself with talent.
its_happening
Posey has something Zaidi doesn’t; baseball experience. That, and Posey knows winning.
Zaidi might be going to Toronto.
bestone
Nooooooooo!
spliffTONE
@its_happening: Zaidi knows winning from the organizations he worked with prior to the Giants. He also was the architect of the winningest team in Giants history.
Citizen1
Just like the old days. What experience did Billy beane or Nolan Ryan have running a baseball operations? It was about race. Giants weren’t in the race for the pennant last few years. Time to move on
its_happening
Beane had baseball experience. Came up the A’s system. He earned it.
CCCTL
Billy Beane was drafted by and played 13 games over two seasons for the Mets.
Then they traded him to the Twins.
showmebb
I think the Chapman negotiations made it clear he was on his way out.
Michol
What’s so hard about offering 6 years for $150m??
rb305
Depends on the difficulty level of your MLB The Show franchise.
rugrat907
Zaidi seemed on board with that, but Chapman wanted a no trade clause. Took Posey stepping in to give Chappy that.
rb305
In all seriousness, have you ever hired someone? Even for a low-profile, low-pressure position? There is a lot on the line the higher the salary and publicity.
BaseballisLife
Do you mean that Zaidi was not involved in those negotiations? Because that was a good signing. Not many 7 WAR players out there. Locking him up is good for the Giants.
Michol
Give 3 years and then you will hate the contract
BaseballisLife
No matter what I will like it. Just one more season at 6-7 WAR and the Giants will love it too.
its_happening
Maybe 2 years.
Pads Fans
As a Padres fan, I hope you are right Michol. I would really hate for the Giants to have a 3B that puts up 5, 6, 7 WAR every season for the next 6 years. Sadly for us, I think that is exactly what we will see from Chapman for the next 3 or 4 years.
its_happening
If every other 3B decides to lower their performance like they have this season then I guess you’d be right with Chapman’s WAR.
Welp
My jaw is on the floor.
ryanisntcreative
I… uh…. Okay!
johnrealtime
Wild that not only did they appoint someone with no experience to a role like this, he also bypassed being a general manager
Best of luck, could really swing either way
antibelt
He’s also a minority stake owner, and worked alongside the Board the last years. They’ve been grooming him for this role.
scottn59c
I guess they have been. I didn’t really see it coming because Posey was a quiet leader on the field and fairly quiet in his post-baseball career with the one exception of the Chapman signing.
stymeedone
Really? Or is that just your guess? Is there any reporting from before the hire of his “grooming” and if so, why so much surprise?
Pads Fans
Posey is on the Board of Directors for the Giants. His stake in the team is the 3rd largest one according to Tyler Kepner of the NY Times.
johnrealtime
Ownership having a hand in front office decisions is always a great idea (mostly kidding, as he isn’t exactly some wealthy out of touch owner)
Sadler
How does one gain experience without first gaining experience?
This one belongs to the Reds
Most people work their way up through the ranks to that job.
johnrealtime
President of Baseball Ops is literally the highest position. He has nowhere to get promoted from there
Is this the first time that someone been given a president of baseball operations job with no other front office experience? Seems like a PR move to me. But if he puts the right guys around him, it doesn’t really matter
Senioreditor
Dodgers need to bring him back IMMEDIATELY!
DanM-9727
Heck no. He’s overrated. Didn’t do much during his stint with the Dodgers.
Fenway 1
A former player will care more about winning because they won’t just focus on the future
ZackMorris
Best news I’ve heard since my Giants fired Gabe Kapler!
HAVE MERCY!
Cat Mando
As a Phillies fan, did you have to say that name? I feel my breakfast coming back up.
BaseballisLife
Because that has worked out so well for the Giants?
spliffTONE
@UncleJesse: Kapler would have gotten more out of the ’24 Giants than sleepy Melvin did
CravenMoorehead
LoL I laughed spliffTONE. I can’t really hate Bob Melvin (yet), he reminds me of a miserable version of my brother-in-law Danny! 🙂
ZackMorris
CravenMoorehead,
Are you mocking me?
CravenMoorehead
Absolutely. While I’m at it tell your boy Uncle Joey to move out and get a real job.
Pads Fans
Padres fans hate Sleepy Bob. He cost the Padres a full season with his self proclaimed “hands off managing approach” while the team had top talent. So glad he decided to move on so the team could get Shildt in there.
thegreatbambi3
Yadi gonna be like hmmmmmm
ohyeadam
I don’t think Joe Mauer would do it for the Twins. His mom was in all those commercials with him. Maybe she’d be good
BaseballisLife
Going to be a large number of happy Giants fans today.
ZackMorris
Especially me. Can’t wait to text Danny and Joey about this!
User 1939973770
For a second I was like who are Danny and Joey and then I saw the name. Good one.
Pads Fans
Upvote for the Full House reference.
jekporkins
As a longtime Giants fan (since 1985) this is one crazy move. I think they wanted a face for the franchise to pull in free agents. I hope they surround him with incredible baseball people who know the ins and outs/intricacies of the role.
This can go either way but I’m gonna be there with popcorn.
ZackMorris
I feel as if the Giants needed a drastic change. Is this the right move? We shall see, but with Buster being the one who took the lead on locking up defensive wizard Chapman I feel more positive than negative at this time. It is surely going to be an exciting off-season.
its_happening
What you’re saying is, have mercy?
ZackMorris
its_happening
H
A
V
E
M
E
R
C
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🙂
SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs
Now this is the zest I needed today
Luke Strong
Putting your home town hero in charge of the franchise is a terrible decision. Now, Posey goes from beloved to the guy all the SF fans point their finger at every time they perceive the team to be falling short, which will be just about every season. In the end, Posey will go from beloved to hated, and it’s inevitable they will eventually have to fire him and it’ll be ugly. I’d say this is a horribly stupid move, the kind of move that sets a franchise back 5-10 years.
BaseballisLife
Posey will still be around even if they fire him as POBO. He is an owner of the team.
Simm
He owns a small portion. If things go ugly he can still own that portion and not be around.
BaseballisLife
20% is a small percentage, but a huge amount when you are talking about an organization worth $3 billion. It does guarantee that he will still be around regardless of what happens with him as POBO.
CCCTL
He bought in with his own money. There’s no way he had $600M to throw around.
Simm
Show me where posey himself owns 20% of the giants. 20% of 3b is 600m, he is worth a total of 150m. He put in his own money.
You are just making stuff up.
BaseballisLife
That is where you would be wrong. When Coca-Cola bought out Body Armor for $5.6 billion, Posey got around $800 million for his 15% stake in the company.
BaseballisLife
You are ill-informed. You really have to stop trying to get your info from clickbait sites. Posey owned a 15% stake in Body Armor and when Coca-Cola bought it for $5.6 billion, he got around $800 million. Posey made $150.9 million playing baseball.
Simm
Cool, show me where he made 800m, show me where he bought 20y of the giants. I’ll wait and likely you will reply and I’ll still be waiting.
vtadave
You got a link to where he made $800 million off that?
BaseballisLife
Since you were able to Google his baseball earnings, I am quite sure you will be able to type in Body Armor, Coca-Cola, and Buster Posey.
BaseballisLife
See above.
Gwynning
The rumor at the time was that Posey retired “because of” the Under Armor sale… I think it was just “good timing” for him to get out as healthy as possible.
BaseballisLife
Body Armor, but yes, that was the rumor.
Gwynning
Freudian slip, I was putting Under Armor on lol
Pads Fans
Giants are valued at $3.5 billion according to Johnson. Posey is going nowhere even when he steps down from the Pobo position. The ever popular senior advisor,
Pads Fans
Posey made $150 million just playing baseball. He made nearly 6 times that much from the sale of Body Armor. Mike Repole said Posey was the largest investor and partner. Kobe Bryant’s estate got $400 million from his $6 million investment in Body Armor and Posey was a larger investor and held a larger stake in Body Armor. I posted a link to a Forbes article that said exactly that elsewhere on this thread. Its really not that hard to look the stuff up.
jbigz12
Basic math would tell you if Kobe owned 10% and that was worth $400MM that 15% is not worth $800MM. Which I’m not sure is accurate anyway… Typically pump from this commenter though. There’s truth followed by a pads fan pump in whatever is discussed.
Pads Fans
Marlins did, in essence, fire Jeter who was an owner. Posey has a much larger stake in the Giants than Jeter had in the Marlins, so his duties would just be shifted to “Senior Advisor” or some other mostly symbolic position if they make a change in baseball operations.
bag o ballz
I don’t know – most teams have their POBO more behind the scenes and their GM as the face of the front office – maybe they go back to that . It would be good to see putilla if he is still around more in front and talking about what he is doing – I always though that the reason farhan was the guy they showed was because they had no GM for the first year and a half that he took over so he was the POBO and GM
quonset point
We saw that in Chicago with the Bulls and John Paxson. There’s an entire generation of Bulls fans who don’t remember Paxson the NBA Finals hero who played along MJ, but only know of Paxson who destroyed the Bulls with disastrous hirings and signings.
stymeedone
Trammell was hired to manage the Tigers, a position that was a better fit than the one Posey just got. He got fired and while he is still in the organization, it took quite a bit of luster off his reputation with Detroit Fans.
Luke Strong
Exactly. You don’t hire the hometown hero to a position where he eventually will be fired and hated.
Simm
He doesn’t have a link to anything. Was reported Kobe made the most off that deal and it was 400m. Was reported posey made as much as 8 figures which is less than 100m.
Plus there never was announced amount posey bought % wise of the giants. Speculation is
It was a very small %.
Baseballislife…just makes stuff up and then tries to strong arm people into thinking he is right.
Hence why he provides zero proof.
BaseballisLife
No it wasn’t. Kone was already dead when Body Armor was sold. It was reported that Kobe’s estate made $400 million for his $6 million investment and that Posey invested $12 million plus got additional ownersip stake in lieu of payment for ads. As usual, you are misinformed.
I notice you posted no links, but are trying to claim I provided no proof.
Simm
Still waiting for you to post the 800m posey got and the 20% stake in the giants.
It’s not going to happen, just like these two things never happened.
Continue to post responses that are meaningless and don’t support your claims.
JoeBrady
“Posey’s stake is unknown, but Sportico reports he likely received an “eight-figure” payout from the sale.”
===========================
8 figures means between $10M-$99M.
But I don’t think you can compare Kobe with Posey. Basketball endorsements probably dwarf baseball endorsements. Kobe made an estimated $450M in endorsements, and my guess is that Posey made maybe 10% of that number.
And that’s the number that drives the amount of company equity each would get for their Body Armor endorsements.
PadresWSChamps2025
And I’m waiting for the link to Luis Campusano’s marijuana charges being reduced to a misdemeanor in January 2021, to Manny Machado saying while he was with the Dodgers that he would never sign with a New York team under any circumstances, to the Padres offering CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Luis Campusano, Reiss Knehr, and Joshua Mears for Ohtani at the deadline in 2022, to the owners having to pay the players their full, non-prorated salaries in 2020 and to LH’s lawyer saying that Trevor Bauer violated the terms of their settlement and that they would be re-filing the lawsuit as a result.
Pads Fans
Simm, you have not backed up anything you have said with links and you want someone else to do it instead? What is wrong with you?
Greg Johnson, the Giants’ chairman. said in an interview with Susan Slusser that Posey had come in as the 3rd largest investor in the Giants and had been included in the Board of Directors. He didn’t say how much that is, but you can be sure its a huge number to be the third largest. Johnson also valued the Giants at $3.5 billion at the time. do you think they GAVE Posey that ownership stake? Are you freaking serious?
Tyler Kepner of the NY Times wrote extensively about Posey’s investments in Body Armor and there were articles in Forbes and even in the WSJ. That you are so terribly incapable of even googling it and tried to say that Posey was only worth $150 million when that was what he made in MLB is all anyone needs to know about your lack of knowledge of the subject.
Mike Repole, founder of Body Armor, said that they had partnered with Posey starting in 2013 and that Posey was the single largest investor. “Not only did Posey sign on as a partner, but he also invested his own money in the company. While the company’s other endorsers – there are six in all, including the Angels’ Mike Trout and Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski – have also taken company equity, Posey’s stake is larger than the others’. Repole won’t reveal exactly how much Posey invested, but says “you’d be surprised at the number.””
forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2013/05/29/buster-pose… So Posey invested MORE than Kobe and Kobe’s estate collected $400 million when body Armor was sold. That means that Posey got more than $400 million when the company was sold.
Please stop. You are making Padres fans everywhere look bad.
Simm
Haha Padsfan – defending himself with a different account. Your post and links still do not say he owns 20% of the giants or got 800m from UA.
I didn’t say those stats, he did. I didn’t quote a number he got from UA or the percentage of the giants he owns.
Yes I looked up his net worth and that’s what it says. I also read up on his percentage of the giants he owns and it undisclosed. The only info you can find on that is it’s likely to be very small. That’s doesn’t sound close to 20%.
So I don’t need to post links of speculation because there aren’t any links to either of these exact totals. Hence why I called you out (whatever) account you want to defend yourself on go ahead. Neither are actually posting any evidence, just more BS.
Pads Fans
By the way, Darren Rovell of ESPN said in 2018 that Kobe Bryant at $6 million was the 4th largest investor in Body Armor. Google it.
PadresWSChamps2025
Man up with links to Luis Campusano’s marijuana charges being reduced to a misdemeanor in January 2021, Manny Machado saying while he was with the Dodgers that he would never sign with a New York team under any circumstances, the Padres offering CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Luis Campusano, Reiss Knehr, and Joshua Mears for Ohtani at the deadline in 2022, the owners having to pay the players their full, non-prorated salaries in 2020 and LH’s lawyer saying that Trevor Bauer violated the terms of their settlement and that they would be re-filing the lawsuit as a result.
Simm
Once again, I asked for proof from you showing he owns 20% and got 800m. I stated like 5 times now show me where it says that’s. Yet you have shown zero proof.
I also said you would continue to say things that wouldn’t provide any proof and that’s exactly what happened.
You still haven’t shown one single things that shows what percentage of the giants he owns or how much he made in UA. I read the whole Kobe UA stuff and even posted about that first.
Once again don’t bother replying defending something that isn’t proof. Which you won’t because there is none. I was never trying to argue with you. At first I was like wow, that’s a lot more than I thought. So I looked it up and found nothing to back up those numbers. So I asked for some sort of proof that they weren’t bs. Instead you reply over and over again defending something with zero proof. Matter of fact there are no exact numbers to be found anywhere. The only ones to be found dispute he got that much. For example one article say posey percentage owned is likely very small. On the UA deal it says he likely got an 8 figure return. Which would be between 10-99, nothing close to 800m. So for you to say he owns 20% or 800m is just made up.
BaseballisLife
You do continue to post meaningless comments and don’t support your claims. Google is your friend, but instead you claim that you know more than others. You already got caught trying to say that Posey only had a net worth of $150 million when that is what he earned playing baseball and then you double down on making accusations after you are caught showing you don’t know what you are talking about. It’s really kind of sad. Grow up son.
BaseballisLife
Forbes said Kobe Bryant’s estate got $400 million for his $6 million investment. SF Gate quoted Mike Repole, the founder of Body Armor as saying that Posey was the largest cash investor and that he also took shares in the company instead of cash payments for endorsement deals. The NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Sports Business Journal, and The Athletic all have articles that talked about Posey as a partner and largest investor in Body Armor.
So to summarize. Posey invested more than Kobe. He was the largest partner in Body Armor per the founder of Body Armor. So logic would dictate that he got more money than Kobe when the company was sold.
BaseballisLife
It’s not UNDER ARMOUR. Just the fact that you think it is, is disqualifying.
Simm
You keep saying the same stuff over and over again. Yet still haven’t posted any proof of posey owning 20% or the 800m.
Don’t bother replying until you can show these numbers which you made up.
Pads Fans
Just mute him BIL. He never adds anything to the conversation and everything from him is projection. Web called out who he really is further down in the thread and it makes total sense if you know who Ryan is. .
Pads Fans
And BOOM, Ryan pops up on one of the many accounts that Web called him out as having.
Citizen1
Can’t be worse than Larussa running the white Sox
Ronk325
Get your digs in now before those two Farhan sympathizers show up cry about what a nice guy he is
Pads Fans
4 Farhan sympathizers. lol
Ronk325
I only knew of two in the past. I guess they’re multiplying
amk1920
Firing Farhan was the right move. But Posey really? Clinging to their dynasty era for dear life. Could be even worse than Farhan
Blackpink in the area
Yeah Posey isn’t qualified for this job.
Redstitch108* 2
Yay! Get rid of ALL the Ivy League bean counters and return baseball to being baseball.
408inthe619
Amen
Inside Out
Oh poor baby. Feel so bad for your lack of intelligence. Go back to sleep Mr Trump
Os1995
Ironically Trump is the Ivy Leaguer without the traditional experiences that someone in the political industry would have. You would think he would be in support of the Ivy Leaguers from outside the industry getting the job.
mlb fan
@Inside out. “lack of intelligence”….Are you the rich, spoiled “safe space” kid who makes comments from behind a protective wall or fence and is too scared to let others respond directly to him?..
Anyone that makes incendiary political commentary and then hides from others is weak, soft and spineless, right inside out?
BaseballisLife
I believe that every team in the playoffs is run by an Ivy League POBO with the exception of Anthopolous who majored in “bean counting” at McMaster University in Canada and Cashman who went to Catholic University and majored in history.
Big Hurt
LOL – this is the equivalent of “I hate analytics, bring back scouts and the eye test because I don’t understand data!”
This one belongs to the Reds
That’s why for the most part those guys have failed, because those bean counters that supposedly understand data know so much about baseball.
Os1995
Farhan is not an Ivy League bean counter. He went to MIT which is an elite school but not a member of the Ivy League.
1958giants
Wahoo!! Tired of failed signings, failed drafting, systematic underacheiving, and lack of excitement and star power with our lineup.
vtadave
Yep. Now they have a guy with elite scouting skills…
cwsOverhaul
Iconic franchise player, but is he qualified? Perhaps Giants fans have a feel.
Troy Percival's iPad
I thought this was an MLB on Fax headline lmao
Monkey’s Uncle
Well, I guess sometimes you DO mess with the Farhan.
TellItGoodbye
As I posted over the weekend. And yes, I do want a cookie.
Monkey’s Uncle
What kind of cookie? I’m not going to give it to you, I’m just curious.
Pads Fans
Chocolate Chip? Oatmeal Raisin? Snickerdoodle?
TellItGoodbye
Choc chip!
Monkey’s Uncle
The only correct answer, well done!
SFBay314
Let’s go! I had my posey for president sign yesterday at the game!!!
ZackMorris
Bold move for our beloved Giants!
HAVE MERCY!
Mehmehmeh
Moving Posey directly to the highest BO role is a mistake.
mad1
Wow! What a stupid move but expect nothing less
Diggerydoo
Posey being a “Consultant” last month made me think this was the direction things were going in
Simm
I think posey will bring some value to free agent signings. Probably will be more aggressive with trading prospects and what not trying to build a better mlb team.
Unfortunately that doesn’t always work, plus they will need to still draft and sign international players well.
This is a pretty big risk, not so much for the next year or two but for the next 4+ years. He will need to be smart with surrounding himself with good baseball guys and listen to them.
At least he will start with having respect around the league. Not a computer bot like Farhan.
stymeedone
Most “good baseball guys” don’t want to work for someone that they have to explain everything to. They want their boss to know his job, and theirs. Hard to maintain respect for your supervisor when you are better at the job than he is, have to do everything for him, and he gets paid more.
refereemn77
The front offices around the league are generally not former MLB players. Former players tend to make for poor operations people. Breslow with the White Sox is a likely exception because he’s basically a mathematician by training.
raulp
More shocking news shall be expected in the coming days, several organizations with a lot at stake.
CTS4
ROGERS do this in Toronto….FIRE SHAPIRO and carry-on baggage the Lackie Atkins…Both useless ….
Get Rid of the 2 Cleveland Clowns …!!
bestone
Yes!
farscott
I want to see who (if anyone does) gets hired to be GM before opining about this change. I also have no idea what Posey has done behind the scenes to prepare for the job. or how he wants to delegate to his front office.
Rickey O'Sunnyvale
Barry Bonds for GM!
llily9727
He was lame with the Dodgers too. Good move by the Giants. Zaidi is overrated.
Wrian Washman
Farhan Zaidis inability to convince players to sign was exposed before the Chapman thing. With that being said you would think you ease Buster Posey into the role giving him a job in middle management then grooming him to work his way up. I agree with most of the comments that suiting him up and leapfrogging other likely more qualified internal candidates can not be a good idea. Awkward water cooler chats and disgruntled employees aside I would assume that job has a massive learning curve and is probably a lot more than just being a convincing negotiator of extensions.
Simm
People say this but judge was never singing there. Ohtani was never signing there. They are lucky they backed out of the Correa deal. People not singing there has more to do with San Francisco the. Farhan.
Heck Farhan signed choaman, snell and. Soler this offseason. Most giants fans were stiff as could be after these signings. I had plenty of them after this offseason including bomel tell me how much better than the padres they were.
Heck giants fans wanted Chapman back and most want snell back.
Wrian Washman
It was always a mistake to be over optimistic about the Chapman, Snell, Correa signings. Even in the A.L east all we heard all off season was that the Yankees were a 3rd or 4th place team because the O’s, Jays, and Rays were ‘soo’ much better. With that being said the last several years everyone in baseball was anxiously anticipating a full throttle money spending bonanza due to all the payroll flexibility the Giants had and it just never happened. The Red Sox are in danger of falling in the same path. If you’re not going to commit to a rebuild and you are a relatively large market with not a lot of contractual obligations you have to force players hands and blow away the competition. Is there great risk involved? Sure but that’s the risk you take when you’ve taken a firm stance against tearing it down. You can do much worse than Farhan but these are valid frustrations Giants fans raise.
BaseballisLife
You know this how? You are a personal friend of Judge and are saying he lied in interviews after he signed with the Yankees? Cut us all some slack.
Simm
I know this because he didn’t. He never wanted to leave the Yankees and didn’t.
Ask just about any giants fan and they will tell you he used them for leverage along with the padres.
Anyways I’m still waiting on you to post your false claims about posey.
gcg27
Not being pessimistic and glad Buster Posey is moving g up the ranks but straight to the President of Baseball operations seems a little too fast.. should have been tutored as assistant before getting the gig… if it works out fine but guess he will be ok if he has a strong supporting staff.. There’s a lot to the job and not sure he’s ready but good luck
refereemn77
I suspect this might be obvious in the beginning. He’s going to need a well seasoned GM or it will be chaos.
clubberlang
Ummm what?
KHE
let’s see if he can get Snell to Resign Now !!
ZackMorris
If they don’t get Snell they can always pivot and go after Burnes. Personally, I’d rather have Burnes!
RussianFemboySportsFan!
you would?
Snell has a higher WAR by a about 10.
More games pitched, 100 more innings, same career ERA, Snell has way more strikeouts, way better K%, Snell also has two ERA titles and two cy young awards.
They are ALMOST the same kind of pitcher, but Snell definitely has the edge over burnes.
ZackMorris
Yeah I would because Burnes isn’t injury prone (like Snell). You know that counts for something? He’s also 2 years younger, has a better career ERA+, doesn’t walk excessive amounts of batters (like Snell) and has a lower WHIP.
But thanks for your opinion, “femboysportsfan”.
DarkSide830
WAR for pitchers?
Pete'sView
FemboySportsFan! —
But see, that’s not the point. Yes, Snell is probably the better pitcher but for a lot more money. Burnes is still excellent and will be just fine, thank you very much.
RussianFemboySportsFan!
@uncleJesse
That’s fair and I would agree if the things you said weren’t decently close.
Yes his WHIP is lower than Snell’s, but its only by 0.200
Yes Snell does walk a fair amount of batters but even some of the best guys all time walked a lot of batters.
Burnes is definitely injury prone like Snell, burnes only has two less career injury’s than Snell..
may just be my opinion, but thank you for listening.
BaseballisLife
Certainly more of a workhorse than Snell. Not the top end maybe.
BaseballisLife
Burnes as SP – 3.03 ERA. 3.14 FIP. 6.0 IP per start 10.4 K/9. 2.27 BB/9
Snell as SP – 3.19 ERA. 3.35 FIP. <5.1 IP per start 11.2 K/9. 4.1 BB/9
Pretty similar starting pitchers in bottom line results. Burnes goes deeper in games and makes more starts per season.
desertdawg
Giants are taking a gamble in a way, I thought he be an assistant GM before he become named Prez. He has to learn some of being a President sitting behind the desk, running minor league system, running the everyday operation 365 days a year, holding meetings, plus other issues. Posey was a great catcher, use to pressure as a player, now a whole different position he has to play. Good luck to him.
refereemn77
I sort of expected it might go the route as in Philly. Former player is GM under a well seasoned operations executive. But they just went all in
talking baseball
Posey will surround himself with the best baseball people available.
He hasn’t even done anything for people to say it’s the wrong move.
Give him a chance and chill out, before being so negative.
ZackMorris
I agree with this reply. Buster is a winner, he has the trophies to prove it. Let’s see what he can do!!!
stymeedone
You don’t promote the Fry Cook at the Tulsa McDonalds to run the whole chain. You wouldn’t even promote that restaurants owner.
ZackMorris
Please leave your 9-5 job out of this conversation and don’t mess up my order next time I roll up at the drive thru.
refereemn77
He will have to convince top front office executives to work for someone with no front office experience. I think that will be somewhat difficult.
Pads Fans
Looks like the Giants are purging the Zaidi front office. Putila is gone and rumors are that several more will follow in the coming days,
Kershaws Back
Farhan was a plant, you can’t convince me otherwise.
Go Dodgers!
kellin
Wait.. this isnt the Onion or April 1st?
jdgoat
Wow. Posey went from unexpectedly retiring to President of Baseball Operations in a crazy short amount of time. I don’t know if I really like the Chapman extension but it will be interesting to see what else he does.
Luis_Fazenda
Considering the activities this last month or so, I think this move could be called with braille.
BlueSkies_LA
In another startling development, Giants ownership took the extraordinary step of firing itself. “We understand we are ultimately responsible for the disappointing performance of the team over the last several years,” they said in a statement. “Accordingly we have decided to spend more time with our families.”
RazzleDazzle
What is next? Tim Lincecum as GM
cooperhill
G e t a haircut!
Bart Harley Jarvis
CGO (Chief Ganja Officer)
SFGLifer
Finally, baseball people running a baseball team. This is the best thing that could happen to the org. Woohoo!
DashaToushu
@SFGL
And pilots should build airplanes!
refereemn77
The history shows it usually doesn’t work out. Former players do in fact become GMs, but usually after working through the front office in other roles.
DarrenDreifortsContract
Long overdue but Posey doesn’t seem much better. 151 million for Matt Chapman doesn’t really scream “Success”
Michol
At least Zaidi never compromised his vision or the values. He could have easily signed a lot of these guys and put the team in a hole. The future is still bright.
Pickle_Britches
What other 3b was available other than Bregman which will require a much larger contract? Chapman was the 2nd best 3B outside of Jose Ramirez on WAR and led the giants in HR and RBI. Even if he’s just as good as half his contract it’ll be worth it.
cooperhill
Saw the picture, thought it was Danny Devito!
letitbelowenstein
Good. Maybe now the Giants will see improvement.
Bart Harley Jarvis
I am so proud of all of our fellow posters! An article about the Giants, and not one mention of San Francisco street poop! Way to go!
BlueSkies_LA
Until now.
Bart Harley Jarvis
Dibs!
JoeBrady
Might be a bright enough guy, but this very much reminds me of when the Mets hired a players’ agent to become their GM. Experience might count for something.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Or Jeter.
JoeBrady
I forgot about Jeter. Smart dude also. But some of this is kind of a specialty skill. But whatever. It makes life more interesting for the fans.
And depending on his ownership stake, Posey might be able to advocate for a larger budget.
Non Roster Invitee
Much rejoicing!
Now fire Holmes and Haines
Nice call on the poster who said “you heard it here first”
Gmen777
Wow I’m shocked by both sides of this to be honest. Zaidi failed to live up to expectations but I honestly thought they might roll it out one more year to finish his contract and keep continuity a bit. This definitely supports the talk that Posey stepped in with the Chapman extension
TellItGoodbye
Drew Smyly, Drew Pomeranz, and Derek Holland had “huge seasons” with SF??? Uh, no, they didn’t.
frugalfarhan
For all those that blindly supported FZ through the years and tried to defend him on this site you can all suck it especially Foppert! I am going to take .00001% credit for this since I have been roasting this guy for the last 5 years and had to deal with each of your BS. Best gift I could have gotten was this news this morning.
davemlaw
I had to scroll down a long way to find your first comment!
Yes, you’ve been screaming for Farhan to go for a long time. But could you have written a better script than Posey being The Man? No Way!
I wish Farhan the best and good health. He did some good things but the fit on this team was never quite right. When you ignore legacy and forget the past you’re on a bad road. If the Giants made the playoffs this season Zaidi is still here. Things happen for a reason. We had to go through the muck to get here but the future is bright.
As for Foppert, at least he’s been consistent in his support. And he’s a Giant fan so let’s all move forward together.
frugalfarhan
I can live with that! Onboard with Posey can’t wait to see what he does
agnes gooch
FF-I hope someone spews the same hatred and vitriol at you someday that you spewed on Farhan, it’s disgusting
Fraham_
Drew Pomeranz sucked for them
TellItGoodbye
As did Drew Smyly and Holland.
Fraham_
Not really they both performed well above expectations
TellItGoodbye
They didn’t have “huge seasons” as stated in the article. Did they have a few impactful moments, sure, but their overall stats were disappointing.
FOmeOLS
I wonder if Mike Elias will come calling?
Stlhomers
Cardinals should take notes: having a retired HOF catcher take more of a ownership role.
Reynaldo's
Does Buster Posey not enjoy being at home and spending time with his family?
Jean Matrac
Posey has permanent residence in the Bay Area.
Datashark
He sure has something like 400 Acres or something like that.
Forebill
I love Posey. But, this is akin to replacing Dusty Baker with Felipe Alou. The Giants were organized after building the stadium to sell tickets. They sacraficed development for on field talent, mainly retaining Bonds for 3 years past his NL shelf life. The side effect is they sucked enough while holding on to Bonds that they caught lightening by drafting high for a couple years. But after that died they languished. Now, just as they are starting to see fruits like Ramos and Fitzgerald, they quit once again.
Posey is taking on the top position with no experience. I’ll give him an open mind. But I fully expect futitity to continue with the lack of continuity. The Fire Farhan Lunatics wont have him to blame 2 years from now.
Datashark
During Bonds years they were ALWAYS a player away needed to win WS.
Those years were frustrating much like Angel fans although they did have Ohtani/Trout but lacked needed pitching to get them through.
Change is necessary when a team has stagnated like Giants have. I am curious about Melvin seeing SD succeed without some stars, but at least they got some star players to join them via draft/trade/FA
Pete'sView
Retaining Bonds made all the sense in the world. Do you watch MLB?
Forebill
Retaining a player that couldn’t play defense, AND blocked them from obtaining other talent from 03 to 07 was STUPID from a baseball perspective. It was done to sell tickets so they could pay off the mortgage. One star wont make a winning team. One crippled star is an albatross.
Apparently you dont know baseball at all.
yeasties
@Forebill Yes, but isn’t selling tickets, keeping fans happy, and making money integral parts of baseball? If you run out of money, if the fans leave, you can’t pay your players then you can’t field a good roster even without Bonds. It was a long time ago but I think Bonds was a still good enough star to keep around based on his national-level marketability and existing but limited talents (as you point out)
Forebill
As you can see from the Giants records ’04 to ’09, no. Keeping a marquee talent without the ability to develop from within is actually bad baseball.
Farhan was brought in to remake the org, top to bottom. Part of his mandate was to create a player development system that could be a platform to build the MLB roster around.
The giants brought up 2 position prospects that they drafted and developed this year that were significant contributors. Aside from Crawford and Posey who were high picks, when was the last time that occurred?
Farhan was famous for his Goodwill roster churn. But his real legacy will be the development system. Unless ownership tears it down.
agnes gooch
Thank you Forebill
azcrook
Posey will never be fired….if has to leave the POBO position, he will “step down” to pursue other options
YankeesBleacherCreature
A PoBO/player would be fun!
From the dugout phone: “Dammit Bailey! You’re pitch-framing like crap today. I see it from my computer and my stat guys confirm it. And what was up with that last at-bat EV right in your heat zone?! You’re having an off-day. I’m coming in after the fifth after my chat with Dombroski.”
benhen77
They really didn’t want to interview any outside candidates? Wish them the best, but don’t think Posey has been off the field long enough to be ready for a POBO job.
J.J. Hunsecker
Hallelujah!
They should have bounced this guy after the mess from last season. Instead they gave him a 2 to 3 year contract, which was bizarre for its terms of length (it’s 3 years…no it’s not! it’s 2 years with a 3rd year option…blah, blah, blah) and why it was even offered considering his consistent mediocrity in trying to build a winning team. Yeah, 2021 was a great year for Giants fans but it was an outlier since the other five years during Zaidi’s tenure have been nothing but complete crap.
hiflew
This is the best news for an NL West rival since Dave Stewart was named to lead the Diamondbacks.
Jarred Kelenic's Beer Can
Nostalgia hires always work out!
Jarred Kelenic's Beer Can
Right because a pitcher with a 3.12 ERA and a 2.43 FIP was the problem.
John Bird
First take is this is a move to keep season ticket sales from falling off a cliff after a another mediocre season and not much suggesting a better future. A lot of fans never liked Zaidi, especially after he pushed Bochy out. Firing Kapler and hiring Melvin was a move toward winning back some of those fans but wasn’t enough. Zaidi would probably be a good #2 guy but was clearly over matched in the top job. His approach seemed much too timid to be competitive in the NL West.
The other take is this more about a change in philosophy, moving away from a Moneyball based approach to a more traditional one. Guessing Posey will be more involved in the overall direction of the team than the day to day operations. He has always been a leader since he first came up, and while he doesn’t have any front office experience there are few people smarter about how the game is played on the field.
Mojo37
I have nothing to add but we’re in a pitching change in the Mets-Braves game. So hi everyone.
ZackMorris
Hi.
ZackMorris
Atlanta bullpen…oh no!!!
Braves20
The next firing Braves fans want to read about is Brian Snitker after he completely butchered today’s first game while knowing Sale was not available for Game 2. All year in must win games, it’s been Jimenez to start the 8th, Iglesias to start the 9th. Instead, he runs a rookie out in the 8th and waits until the world is on fire to bring in guys used to starting innings.
dclivejazz
I have never really liked Buster Posey, thinking of him as just a bit too precious. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how he does. He’s a driven character with leadership qualities.
He may have been a quick study in his role over the past two years and could very well succeed even though he lacks a lot of traditional experience in the upper rungs of baseball operations.
Datashark
This could go really good or really bad because he has been the heart of the team since he arrived.
Jerry Hairston Jr's Toupee
Fired our guy on the inside….
Mojo37
lol
Non Roster Invitee
I recall the Posey’s being fined an exorbitant amount by the water company for using thousands of gallons of water over their monthly allotment during the drought in California a few years back.
Datashark
Thought something like this may happen when Posey bought a HUGE ranch in sonoma — Figured he would not have left Georgia for any short term situation and being a big ranch must be setting for long term there.
Jean Matrac
The ranch is not in Sonoma. It’s mostly in Mendocino Co, but extends into Lake Co. It’s over 4,000 acres. It’s about hunting. This is part of the private land management program helping to control wildlife populations through hunting. He previously owned a hunting lodge/preserve in Butte Co. But his main residence is in Lafayette in the East Bay.
Pads Fans
He bought the Six Point Ranch in Potter Valley, right? Used to fish there back when Joe Bullock owned it,
m34josh
Yes
rb305
Finally, we can “turn the page”. And who doesn’t love Buster?
draker
To paraphrase Gerald Ford, our long national nightmare is over.
rememberthecoop
And then hè tripped and fell on his head!
Pete'sView
To be sung: “All we are saying . . . is give Posey a chance.”
davemlaw
To my fellow Giant fan brethren, you’re going to hear all kinds of bad mouthing toward Buster Posey in an attempt to anger you and reply. Don’t fall for it. Those people have nothing better to do and are the weakest of humans. Rejoice in our team and the future. It’s bright!
rememberthecoop
Breaking news: Cubs replace POBO Jed Hoyer with Andre Dawson, who was found in the Wrigley Field ivy!
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Breaking news, Montreal expos are coming back and vladdy big daddy is the owner
This one belongs to the Reds
Coop – That is also what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.
Datashark
Posey just needs his village idiot moment like Sabean – fans just did not get him then but Sabean had the right plan
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
He can’t be any worse then farhan, right?
Mojo37
everyone needs an attainable goal
YankeesBleacherCreature
Whether Posey is qualified to run the Giants or not, he will attempt to bring a cultural shift in the org which isn’t a bad thing.
ZackMorris
“Wake Up San Francisco” good vibes today.
Jerry Hairston Jr's Toupee
Farhan will get a hero’s welcome for his homecoming….
TheFuzzofKing
Posey has no business being president of baseball ops for the Savannah Bananas, let alone one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball.
mooksman
While the results haven’t been there, I really liked the way Farhan ran the team. I think he’ll easily find a job elsewhere and find success in the future; it is clear he is a singular baseball mind. None of his “bad signings” hold a candle to the free agent contracts this franchise regularly handed out in the past; I remember when they gave Aaron Rowand $60 million and he was worth negative WAR. Farhan regularly found value for free from other teams, acquiring Estrada, Wade, Ruf, JD Davis, etc for peanuts and getting valuable years out of them. He avoided the disastrous contracts other teams ended up giving Rodon, Gausman, and Correa. Most of the FA deals were so reasonable he was able to easily offload them; now Atlanta is stuck with Soler for two years, and Haniger was turned into Robbie Ray, who will likely contribute to next year’s team far more than Haniger will the Mariners. I do not think the Chapman deal will be an albatross, but it makes a bit more sense knowing Farhan was on his way out that Chapman was able to get such a fair market deal with a full no trade clause despite questionable leverage; while Farhan was willing to wait him out for a better deal, Posey impatiently moved in and signed a deal so friendly Scott Boras was willing to forgo free agency to sign it.
Farhan turned the farm system around and we were finally seeing the results; in a lost year, we stayed in contention for much of the season as Birdsong, Harrison, Fitzgerald, and others began to blossom into big league talent. I am not sure if many Giants fans remember what the previous regime was like as far as young talent goes; until they started tanking and hit with a few lucky picks, this franchise was where prospects went to die. I’m talking about John Bowker, Fred Lewis, etc. type of nobodies for YEARS until they took a risk on the Freak that no one else would. Last year, we were calling up guys and they were some of our best players. Farhan was also much more willing to field young talent than the previous regime.
Unfortunately, his first two drafts got scuttled by injuries, and weren’t able to reach the MLB with any impact star talent. Eldridge is advanced for his age, but didn’t quite get here in time. Oh well, it was nice having a modern front office for a while.
Whatever Posey does, he will inherit a much healthier franchise at every level than Farhan did, and will likely benefit from his shrewd work.
Michol
Excellent post
Jerry Hairston Jr's Toupee
Farhan is still employed. Working for the Giants was his fake job…
Pickle_Britches
Farhan didn’t do crap with the farm but keep it at the bottom 30. Actually declined each year. I remember the giants had a top 10. Bottom of the barrel since. Giants farm right now is so weak. Eldridge looks good but they don’t have much coming up. No top quality SP coming up. Whisenhunt? I doubt it. Crawford already put until he’s 26, Bednar trash, Corry trash. Bunch of Beedes, Bickfords, Cricks, Stratton types. Nothing to get excited about. Also most of their hitting prospects tend to K a lot and not draw walks. That’s a recipe for failure for prospects
mooksman
all farms are in the bottom 30 though right? and the top 30?
Jean Matrac
“…the giants had a top 10.”
Not since Lincecum, Posey, and Bumgarner were still in the MiLs. The Giants’ farm was ranked 24th in 2018, the year before Zaidi took over. In 2021 they ranked 11th. Injuries were part of the regression.
“Whisenhunt? I doubt it.”
Yeah, like you’d know.
spliffTONE
@mooksman: With you on most of this but saying Gausman’s contract is “disastrous” is absolutely absurd, as shown by his 13.5 fWAR tallied through the initial three seasons of said deal. I have generally been cool with Zaidi but letting Gausman walk without even making him a contract offer only to see him sign a reasonable deal (5/$110MM) with Toronto is the one misstep of his that really comes to mind when discussing his tenure with the Giants.
Jean Matrac
spliffTONE, I have to question Fangraphs value for Gausman. His bWAR for his time in Toronto is 7.2. and 6.4 of that is from years 1 and 2. Going by BB Ref, they paid $22M for 0.9 bWAR. Even going with Fangraphs, his WAR in 2024 was significantly less. the the 2 previous years.
I agree, it’s not a disaster, but it’s too early to know how successful it is. If he bounces back to something closer to 2022-23, it will be. If he regresses in the next 2 years, it’ll be more of a wash.
agnes gooch
Thank you mooksman for taking the time to write this, you are a breath of fresh air amongst the foaming at the mouth fire farhan morons. I’m really going to miss him. I think he was treated horribly by the ignorant fanbase that became so entitled after the 3 in 5 championships, and also treated horribly by the media. Murph on KNBR compared farhan to Saddam Hussein the other day, just disgusting.
It’s a sad time, I loved his approach too. I hate everyone clinging to the past, this move feels like going backwards.
spliffTONE
@agnes gooch: Bingo. The average perpetually online Giants fans are a bunch of whiny, ignorant clowns that have wanted Zaidi’s head on a pike for years
CKinSTL
This is quite interesting. Generally, there is a fair amount of churn in these FO positions.. now you have a guy stepping into a PBO role that is a franchise icon, part-owner and member of the board of directors. It certainly complicates matters if things don’t go well. Hopefully that’s not an issue though.
SadMsFan
Woah!!! Posey can’t be worse than Farhan. Posey is a smart baseball guy who wants to win. Farhan…jeez, maybe he stays up to date on the 31 Baskin Robins flavors, but he don’t know baseball. A lot of these execs are morons without a clue.
BlueSkies_LA
So Zaidi is a dumb guy who wants to lose?
Remember, you heard it here first.
DockEllisDee
Like omg
just_thinkin
Player GMs love to hand out terrible contacts to aging players, in this case Chapman.
Not excited about this if I’m a SF fan. Hate to hear that Posey meddled to secure a really bad contract.
Ominous.
Giant1962
Predicted this last week. Missed by a day. Timing very similar to Kapler firing last year.
Jean Matrac
Not surprised, but I wouldn’t have been surprised either, had they given him another year. I’m hoping for the best, but it’s doubtful that Posey, or any other GM/PBO could have sold Harper, Judge, or Ohtani on hitting at Oracle Park. Posey will have his hands tied somewhat trying to sign power hitters until the team takes steps to mitigate the way the park saps that potential.
I’m hoping Brodie Van Wagenen and Dave Stewart aren’t some sort of precedent. I remember thinking at times, WTH is Stewart doing?
Not sure why, in an article on Zaidi, that guys like Webb, Ramos, Matos, and Luciano get mentioned, when they were drafted/signed by the previous regime.
If Zaidi was a problem, I don’t think he was the only one. The on-field performance this season was bad. That’s not Zaidi’s purview. A lot of players performed below their career averages. It will be interesting to see if there are changes to the coaching staff. I’m guessing Melvin stays, but I’ll be disappointed if they roll with the same staff as this season.
agnes gooch
Good post Jean, thank you
Jean Matrac
Thanks Agnes. Haven’t seen you in a while. Regards to Mame.
agnes gooch
Wow Jean, I wrote you a long reply to this 6 days ago and I guess the MLBTR filter deleted it. I didn’t use any cuss words, so I don’t know why. My reply was good, too bad. Maybe I screen captured it on my phone.
Hope you are well Jean, all the best
Jean Matrac
Thanks Agnes, Sorry I missed it. All is well, hope the same for you.
derail76
I’m a Dodgers fan, but this is a dumb move. Hire a moneyball GM to build a roster on the cheap, and then wonder why he can’t get the big names. So hire a name like Posey with zero experience to appease a fan base for another lost season, while ownership takes zero responsibility for not giving the former GM the resources needed to build a roster. It’s not the city, it’s not the park, it’s not the GM, winning starts with commitment from ownership.
spliffTONE
@derail76: On the cheap? This year’s roster had the highest payroll in Giants history and they still finished below .500
derail76
Yeah, inflation and all.. but I’m talking about the big guys, the Ohtani’s, Judges and Correas of the world, and ownership only opening their wallet to show that they had money to spend, only to close it when it came time to actually do it.
spliffTONE
@derail76: Ohtani & Judge were never signing anywhere other than NY & LA, while it was wise to move on from Correa after seeing what his physical showed. Lee, Chapman, Snell, and Soler were part of the second largest spending spree by any MLB team during last offseason.
Jean Matrac
derail76, The Giants pursued Judge and Ohtani aggressively. The offers to them were equal to what they accepted from the Yankees and Dodgers. They went to those other teams because that’s where they wanted to play, not for any lack of desire to spend by the Giants.
derail76
Maybe you’re right. I guess I’m a little frustrated. Like I said, I’m a Dodgers fan, but I love to hate the Giants when they are playing well. SD and Arizona having good seasons is cute and all, but the NLW and baseball in general, is better when the oldest rivalry in sports are each going for blood. I hope I’m wrong about Posey, and I hope he can get them turned around.
Jean Matrac
Unlike most Giants’ fans I don’t hate the Dodgers, though any Giants’ victory against them is more satisfying than it is against other teams. I like some guys like Kershaw, Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman, and it’s hard to hate another team when they have guys that you like.
I Agree that the NLW is better when the Dodgers and Giants are closer in talent to fuel the rivalry. It’s entirely reasonable to be skeptical about Posey as PBO. It’s out of the box thinking, which could backfire. I’m also hoping it works, but as I posted elsewhere, his hands are tied somewhat trying to sell power hitters on playing in that park. That’s a big factor in what did in Zaidi.
Blackpink in the area
Completely understand firing Zartan. As I said a few weeks ago no GM in baseball has done less with more these last few years.
But Posey? Good luck……
YaGottaBelieveAgain
Surprised because SF just gave Zaidi an extension recently. You have to admit competing in a division with the LAD, SDP and the recent resurgent AZ is not easy
SF definitely needs an offensive improvement, Duh
.Losing Jung Hoo Lee really hurt their offense this year
What Free Agents would SF fans like them to sign. Not just almost..
Is trading for Trout if LAA pays significant $ a good idea?
YankeesBleacherCreature
Soto
spliffTONE
@YaGottaBelieveAgain: While I liked what I saw with Lee to a degree and felt like he was going to improve as the season went along, dude was 17% worse than the average MLB hitter in the 37 games he played. Not only that but Lee going down was a big reason why Ramos (20% better than the average MLB hitter), the Giants first homegrown, position player All-Star they’ve had since 1986 got the chances he did.
So no, losing Lee did not “really hurt their offense this year”. May have actually helped it, if anything. Def hurt their defense though.
Samuel
spliffTONE;
You’ve made a lot of good points. Allow me to make a few…….
After reading all these posts (as well as Giants posts all season) what I’m getting is the typical/shallow MLBTR poster analysis that comes for all teams – the owner needs to spend more money; the PoBO needs to sign hot FA’s.
The Giants play half their games in a pitchers park with a big RF and RF-CF gap. The ball doesn’t carry well. What I would do is start by having 3 ballhawks with strong arms that can play CF and RF. Furthermore, I’d be after guys with speed for both O and D, and line drive contact hitters. On D run down balls hit in the big areas of the park; on O hit line drives down the line and in the gaps, then run like crazy. THAT supports your pitchers. Guys with speed put pressure on the other teams O and D.
Sure, the rest of the team needs to be balanced. And strong fundamental play would be necessary.
–
I’ve never been enthralled with Bob Melvin as a manager. He’s won the Manager of the Year thing 3 times, and seems to be respected. But watching his teams they’re always disjointed. As if some guys are on board with what he wants, but others can’t seem to play that way.
–
In short, start by agreeing to a style of baseball to play that fits the home park, and have the entire organization work to bring in players that have the ability to play that style. Pitching successfully in that park should be easier than probably any other city other than Seattle. Get some fast, sure-handed defenders, and smart, fundamental position players. Win a bunch of games by one run and intimidate teams coming in to play the Giants in the sense that if they screw up something it could well cost them the game.
HiredGun23
This is not going to end well…
Pickle_Britches
For their Division competition I know right
Gumby82
Nice! Now just sign Ned Colletti to be the GM
Datashark
Farhan – did not overspend on contracts and created a consistent mediocre team from the dollar general.
Posey – will he overspend like a drunken sailor get some big names and win enough and lose enough to even out?
Giants78
I heard Posey will be POBO for 2 years and also DH, outdoing Mel Ott!
bcjd
What a promotion for Posey!
Pickle_Britches
Posey is a Leader. 3 WS rings. His last year they had one of the best records and the last time they have been over .500. He was a remarkable captain, I think he’ll do just fine as a president. Giants fans are in good hands
BlueSkies_LA
This job and being a ballplayer call for totally different sets of skills. As almost everyone has failed to notice, Posey is one of the team owners. If he doesn’t have any freer hand in spending the team capital he won’t be anymore successful than Zaidi was, but he will have the protection of being one of the team’s owners so it will be really hard to fire him if he doesn’t perform. If this was my team, even if I totally loved and respected the player, no way I am happy about this move.
frugalfarhan
You may be right about most ex players but Posey is a smart dude, a winner, and will succeed without a doubt in my mind. The fact that he was willing to take on this role tells me all I need to know. He is prepared and he wanted it. He is also smart enough to know who to surround himself with and lead a strong Front Office just like he led on the field. Smart leaders like Posey get the most out of their team no matter if they are playing or managing. I’m just happy he chose to do this because I think he really wanted it and proved himself to ownership over the last 2 years and since they drafted him of course. We may not do much this offseason and next year may not be much more than this year but his rope is sooo much longer than any rope I ever gave that nerd Farhan.
BlueSkies_LA
Baseball is full of smart dudes. As players, most of them are found behind the plate. So I don’t question whether Posey is a smart dude. But he has also never worked this side of the game, ever. Being a leader in a uniform is not same job as the one he will be doing now. And again, if this was my team, my concern would be his success isn’t going to be measured the same was as if he wasn’t also part owner of the franchise. It’s a similar situation as a company with CEO who is also on the board of directors and is in part his own boss. Not a healthy situation. So I don’t see how you can have no doubt in your mind.
I was just reminded of when Ned Colletti was the Dodgers GM. A lot of Dodger fans just hated, hated, hated Colletti. But they seemed to overlook his employer, a guy who ultimately drove the team into bankruptcy. Yet they still hated Colletti. Funny how that works. Well, not funny really. More that other thing.
JoeBrady
So I don’t question whether Posey is a smart dude.
======================
We also don’t that to be certain. Stuff like “smart dude” and “great leader” are bandied about, but the fans are mostly assuming these attributes.
IMO, this would be like making Varitek the GM of the RS.
Patriot12992
Having a player activist as your head of baseball ops is going to backfire tremendously.
Pickle_Britches
How you figure? He’s definitely a upgrade over overrated Zhadi. Posey is a smart dude. He’ll get it done
NoTradeClause
He was always used heavily as a player for recruiting free agents and being part of the process. It always seemed like he was working towards jobs after his playing days. I imagine his role has been greater than we realized and I think he has a lot of respect around the game. He is one of my all time favorites and I wish him nothing but the best. I’m sure he will surround himself with a good team. I think ego tends to get in the way of a lot of the guys that rise quickly. Buster has always been humble and well spoken. We will see what’s happens!
frugalfarhan
There were a lot of fans and semi intelligent people who were willing to give Farhan 6 years to figure his job out yet for some reason think Posey is an awful choice. I am the guy who has been screaming from the mountain top how horrible a decision it was to sign Farhan from day one and guess what? I’m done screaming and can finally say this is a great move. Well done Giants ownership you actually made a great decision!
BlueSkies_LA
Just from your screen name alone I gather you believe Zaidi made the team’s financial plans. Maybe you’d understand the questions some have about the Posey hire if you accepted that he didn’t, and neither will Posey.
Jean Matrac
Why is ‘POBO’ so commonly used’? Traditionally words like ‘and’, ‘of’, and ‘the’, are omitted for abbreviations. It’s USA for the United States of America. It’s BLT for bacon, lettuce, and tomato. It should be PBO.
Jordan 5
Pretty shocked he didn’t succeed with the giants. He’s a smart dude but didn’t build up that farm system like he should have. Best of luck with the dodgers. lol
Pads Fans
He did succeed with the Giants. In 2021 they had the most wins in franchise history. He just didn’t succeed consistently.
snowyphile1
Time to try old-school.
sfjackcoke
2 cents on Farhan. He took a job that had “conditions”, you can’t blow up the MLB roster (trade long time players, Craw, Belt, etc), you don’t get to pick your manager, Bochy was still under contract. He was asked and agreed to “retooling” on the fly. He didn’t pull it off.
The above all said, wasn’t it reported in August that both Farhan and Melvin had deals for this year and options for 2025? Was that another Andy Baggy gem? Whatever, the analogy here is more similar to something you see in corporate America, a Board of Directors decides they wish to move on from a CEO, fire him and someone from the Board steps into the CEO role.
The new CEO is there to execute the Board’s vision, culture, strategic plan. That’s basically the role that was described for Posey in the article. While his hands will touch everything, baseball ops has many specialties, pro scouting, amatuer scouting, player development in addition to all the field staff in MiLB and MLB. Whether Farhan’s illness during the Chapman negotiation where Posey, others assisted in getting it done opened the door for this I don’t know.
Pure speculation on my part, the on field play post deadline was just too uninspiring far too often. Ownership was ready for a change, Posey’s willingness to take on this role made it easy and seamless. Hugely important as this team has a lot of work to conduct this off-season and in particular they have an exclusive negotiating window with Snell. They didn’t have the liberty to do an “outside search”. In the short term this is win-win, over time we’ll see what the long term vision Posey/Ownership have, they are to some degree owning the next couple of seasons.
Nap Lajoie
Lack of experience comments pretty obvious.
What will be interesting to see is whether a former player who is highly respected, and willing to finally spend money intelligently will make a difference.
Keyword is intelligently
NoTradeClause
Judging from the comments I don’t get the feeling a lot of people only know him as the player and not much beyond that. He has always been regarded as more than a great catcher but a great baseball mind that people wanted to play with. He also played for the most successful regime in franchise history and one that wasn’t so great. I always felt like he was one of those guys who was focused on the game and able to stand back and see the big picture. He might not be successful but I can’t just write him off and say this is a bad hire. I think back to when they won the first World Series in 2010. I think krukow told him hey enjoy the moment kid this probably won’t happen again. His response was why not? I think that’s a good person to steer the ship.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Frisco kid, was a friend of mine
Dumpster Divin Theo
Bring back Dusty, in Dusty we trusty
Hakes89
Tom Murphy and his 13 games did not “push” Bart out of town. lol
Teamspirit
They hired a Dodger to run the Giants and it didn’t work out. The Dodger’s plan worked.
bcjd
President of Baseball Operations has responsibility for the business side of the organization as much as the baseball side. He has to be able to evaluate talent, but also hire staff. He has to be able to budget for the roster, but also evaluate the untapped revenue streams from vendors and media. He has to know the baseball rulebook, but also the CBA and local zoning regulations. He’ll need to negotiate contracts with the janitors and the grounds crew and the city waste department.
It’s hard to imagine making the jump from talented ballplayer with a sharp baseball mind to front office executive in just three years. Knowing baseball is only one part of the job; when has he learned to do all of the rest?
If they expect him to learn in the job, that seems like they’re setting him up for failure. He has a tremendous cache of goodwill in SF, but it’s not inexhaustible. I feel like this is a mistake. He can’t be ready for this job yet.
Jean Matrac
bcjd, Most of your points are on the mark. But the reason why teams have a GM working under a PBO, is to handle things like contracts with the janitors, the grounds crew, and the city waste department.
Samuel
bcjd;
Like all large businesses, MLB franchises use different job titles to do similar things, and even then the specifics are tailored each year depending on lots of things – including who is good or bad at what./
Mr. Posey has lawyers on staff to go overt “the CBA and local zoning regulations” when it’s applicable. That’s what they’re there for. I doubt he’ll: “negotiate contracts with the janitors and the grounds crew and the city waste department.” Are you serious?
The man is going to get feedback from Giants employees and chair meeting to discuss anything of importance regarding baseball ops. Sometimes there will be group agreement, sometimes he’ll have to step in and overrule people. But he’s not going into a corner office and making every single decision then giving commands to highly-educated, experienced, well-paid professionals.
Do you write situation comedies of a living…or work in the American news media?
bcjd
Certainly a lot of that work is delegated. But oversight of the mamagement team, knowing how to pick the right people, whose judgment to trust, what questions to ask, that’s all a knowledge base and skill set that needs development which you don’t get on the diamond or in the clubhouse.
I would like to see Posey succeed, this just seems to be a crazy big jump.