Franchise face Posey discusses his future in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO — When the San Francisco Giants hire a new face of their baseball operations department this fall, the executive will earn the authority to lead the front office into the future.
The new hire, however, cannot change what has transpired in the past.
While a bold visionary will arrive armed with a plan to develop the next generation of Giants players, a new front office leader must understand that Buster Posey is the face of the Major League Baseball franchise.
And Posey’s desire, even after having major hip surgery in August, is to continue catching.
“I think postsurgery we’re in the hopes he’s our starting catcher as soon as he comes back,” vice-president of baseball operations Brian Sabean said Sunday. “There’s been no discussion of another position. He’s our franchise player and he wants to catch.”
Posey’s ninth full season with the Giants was cut short due to a hip injury that bothered him the majority of the season. It sapped his power, rendered his lower half ineffective at the plate and turned catching into a painful exercise. When it became clear the club would miss the playoffs for the second straight season, Posey turned in his shinguards for a hospital gown and had his hip cleaned out.
The goal is to be ready for 2019, but it’s already clear that next year’s opening day will have a different feel to it. For the first time in Posey’s major league career, the continuity and stability that were hallmarks of the Giants organization are no longer at play.
Bobby Evans, a 25-year veteran of the organization, is out as general manager and a new architect will soon be hired to run the Giants baseball operations department.
“It’s disappointing,” Posey said Saturday of Evans’ dismissal. “Because the reason it happened is because we didn’t do our job well enough on the field.”
Posey developed a great respect for Evans, praising his work ethic and the faith he placed in players responsible for leading the Giants to three World Series titles. But like all players, the Giants catcher understands the business aspect of the sport and knows the franchise could eventually pursue even more dramatic changes.
Bruce Bochy is the only manager Posey has ever played under, and as Bochy enters the final year of his contract, the duo will celebrate a decade of unity.
“I appreciate it and I think I’ll appreciate it even more when I’m done with baseball that I’m going to have 10 years with Boch,” Posey said. “I think that’s a pretty special feat or relationship to have with one manager. It’s been great, hopefully we get this thing back on track next year and we can make another run together.”
After Angels manager Mike Scioscia formally announced his retirement Sunday, Bochy is the only remaining manager in baseball whose tenure with his team predates 2010. Posey and ace Madison Bumgarner are the two remaining Giants who debuted under Bochy’s watch in 2009, but Bumgarner’s status with the franchise is far less stable than Posey’s.
While Posey is under contract for the next three seasons, Bumgarner’s deal expires after 2019. A new front office executive could see the merit in trading Bumgarner for a prospect package that would hasten a rebuild, but Posey aspires to finish his career with the left-hander in San Francisco.
“There’s no question,” Posey said.
“I think that’s one of the partnerships that is pretty rare in our sport. I think that we still have a lot of good years that we could play together and as I mentioned before, hopefully make a run at another championship.”
Until a 98-loss collapse in 2017, the Giants never would have considered trading an ace. There are still members of the organization who likely see a potential Bumgarner deal as a non-starter, but the future of the franchise will soon be placed in the hands of an outsider.
“Rebuild” isn’t a term Giants CEO Larry Baer is comfortable using, but a two-year stretch of futility has forced the organization to confront the uncomfortable. As the face of the franchise’s on-field product, Posey said he’s never needed to contemplate what direction the Giants’ offthe-field operation will take.
Though changes are on the way, Posey is more focused on swapping out his crutches for his chest protector so he can help steer the club back in the right direction. “I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of this organization because the goal always has been, ‘Let’s try to win,’” Posey said. “So I think I’m lucky in the regard that I don’t have to put too much thought into what moves they may or may not make.”