Posey 'part of the team again' as Giants' president of baseball ops

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants chairman Greg Johnson joked for years that franchise legend Buster Posey would end up running the club’s front office one day. He just didn’t expect Posey’s official ascent to happen so soon.

Three years after retiring as a player, Posey is back to lead San Francisco as its new president of baseball operations. The future Hall of Fame catcher takes over for Farhan Zaidi, who was dismissed on Monday after falling short of the playoffs in five of his six seasons at the helm.

The Giants held a press conference on Tuesday morning at Oracle Park to formally introduce the 37-year-old Posey, who received a three-year deal after accepting his new front-facing role with the organization.

“I’m just excited,” Posey said. “I’m excited to have an opportunity to be in this role. I’m excited to be part of the team again. The San Francisco Giants' organization is all I’ve ever known.”

“I think Buster is somebody that asked for the ball here and wanted the accountability,” Johnson said. “That’s really what a leader does.”

Posey, who was the 2012 National League MVP and a seven-time All-Star, helped spur the Giants to three World Series titles over his 12-year run behind the plate in San Francisco. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2021 season, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife, Kristen, and their four young children.

The family briefly moved back to Posey's home state of Georgia, but they ended up returning to the Bay Area last year. That allowed Posey to become more involved with the Giants, who welcomed him into their ownership group in 2022.

Unsatisfied with the team’s on-field performance in recent years -- the Giants went 80-82 in 2024 and finished a distant fourth in the NL West -- Posey decided it was time to once again take the reins and try to return the franchise to relevancy.

"I'm so passionate about baseball,” Posey said. “I know I finished a few years ago, but just the opportunity again, like I mentioned, to be a part of a team. I think the chance to be in a position to hopefully elevate people that are all a part of this, elevate staff, elevate players. We're in a memory-making business. Sure, winning is great. Ultimately, that's our goal, to be a playoff team every year and compete for a championship.

"But I think just the overall big picture of being a part of something that's bigger than yourself was really appealing."

Johnson said Posey began to express interest in taking on a more hands-on role a month ago, a move that was foreshadowed by his role in helping the Giants finalize a six-year, $151 million contract extension with third baseman Matt Chapman. Posey said the first step was convincing Kristen to get on board with the idea, but she eventually signed off as well.

"For me and for the board, what we have observed with Buster in working with him over the last three years is that competitive fire he has to win, it didn't end when he took his jersey off,” Johnson said. “It’s as strong today as ever.”

The Giants will retain Bob Melvin as their manager, though Posey said he plans to bring in a new general manager to work under him and help with some of the day-to-day operations of the club. Pete Putila, who served as Zaidi’s GM the past two seasons, will move into a different role within the organization.

“I want a leader,” Posey said. “I want somebody that’s going to empower people that are working with him and for him. Ideally, somebody that does have somewhat of a scouting background. I think that will be important for me as well. Today’s game is so much about meshing what your eyes see and instincts are with what the data is telling you.”

While he lacks formal front-office experience, Johnson believes Posey has an innate understanding of the Giants’ rich history and possesses the vision needed to move the organization into a new era.

“To me, the gap in the organization was that tone at the top, just flowing down,” Johnson said. “What is the philosophy? What are we trying to do? That was the main need, to get somebody in there who understands the Giants’ way.”

Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy, who managed Posey for 11 seasons in San Francisco, said he’s confident Posey will continue to lead the Giants to new heights moving forward.

"Buster was a leader on our team in 2010,” Bochy said on Tuesday. “He just gets it with baseball. As the catcher, he came up and really changed our club, with how he handled the staff. He led the club to three championships from behind the plate. I'm not surprised about where he's at now. He's going to provide that same leadership and the role that he has now.

"He'll be good. He'll be really good, because he has a great feel for the game and for people. He's going to be good for baseball there."