There's a new sheriff in town with the San Francisco Giants. Buster Posey, the Giants' new president of baseball operations, replaced Farhan Zaidi on Monday. Zaidi held that role since 2018 after being the Los Angeles Dodgers general manager from 2014 to 2018.
Posey wasted no time firing general manager Pete Putila, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He was GM for two years and joined San Francisco after spending 2019 to 2022 as the Houston Astros assistant general manager. Posey hopes to hire a general manager with a scouting background as soon as possible.
After winning three World Series titles over five years from 2010 to 2014, the Giants have struggled to tread water and compete with the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
In September 2022, the Giants announced that Posey would join the team's ownership group and serve on its board of directors. The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly reported that something was amiss among Giants' leadership.
“Sources interviewed for this story were granted anonymity in exchange for their candor about topics they were not authorized to address publicly.
“They described an ownership group that valued (Matt) Chapman's shining work ethic as much as his steady contributions on the field, that viewed the 31-year-old as someone who could instill both continuity as well as a culture change, and that was adamant to avoid a repeat of last offseason, when a standoff between the Giants and Boras lasted until mid-March.
“It was an ownership group that viewed re-signing Chapman as a slam dunk — and did not trust Zaidi and Boras to finish at the rim.”
On September 16, Chapman negotiated a six-year, $151M contract extension with Posey, not Zaidi.
Assessing Buster Posey's new leadership role with the Giants
Posey has already made it a priority to consider bringing back starting pitcher Blake Snell. Giants team chairman Greg Johnson also acknowledged full trust in Posey via statement from the Associated Press.
“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,” Johnson said. “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 Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.”
The Giants last finished a season with a winning record in 2021, but unfortunately, were eliminated in the NL Division Series in five games against the Dodgers that year.
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