REPORT: Bruce Bochy OPEN to conversation with GIANTS | Other TOP Candidates

REPORT: Bruce Bochy OPEN to conversation with GIANTS | Other TOP Candidates

Could Bruce Bochi come back to the Giants? Other candidates that might be available for the manager position and what the Giants are looking for? That’s all coming up on Locked on Giants. You are Locked On Giants, your daily San Francisco Giants podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hello and welcome to Lockdown Giants, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, where it’s your team every single day. My name is Alen Styles. On the show, we provide daily episodes Monday through Friday talking about the San Francisco Giants and a way that combines passion, analytics with the eye test and a little bit of fun. I’m from the Bay Area, but I live in Sacramento now. I also host a show at Sacktown Sports 11:40. Be sure to check that out. The Allen Style Show 10 a.m. to 2:00 PM, as well as MCing Sacramento Rivercats games. All in all, I’m lucky enough to cover a team I’ve been a fan of all my life. Today, we are discussing whether or not the Giants should bring back Bruce Bochi, other candidates that are available, and what the Giants are looking for in a manager. And today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the app today. the return of Bruce Bochi. All right, so I have some pros and cons on why the Giants should bring back Bruce Bochi and why they shouldn’t. Yes, there are actually cons to this. All right, Bruce Bochi hasn’t shut the door on a Giants reunion. When asked about the possibility, Boshi said he’s open to a conversation with Buster Posey in the San Francisco front office. That one line has sparked plenty of debate across the Bay Area. Could the three-time World Series manager return to Oracle Park and take the reigns again? So, let’s break it all down. First things first, I will give my opinion on this right now. I’m really torn. There is a part of me that wants to keep the legend, the legend, that wants to keep the memories the memories. There’s another part of me that thinks, well, it worked before. Why wouldn’t it work again? And earlier I was trying to look at other situations where teams brought back managers and coaches even in other sports. Not a lot of history of it working successfully in Major League Baseball. Just wanted to put that on out there. So let’s start with the pros. Of course, legacy, credibility, instant buyin. Bochi is one of the most revered figures in Giants history. three World Series titles as manager in San Francisco, give him institutional graitas that few others can match. His name alone would stir fan enthusiasm and command respect in the clubhouse. Number two, proven track record in big moments. He’s shown time and time again that in high pressure postseason environments, he can get the best out of his staff and players. That front office may view him as a safer bet for playoff success. as someone who has been there, done that, and not even just playoff success. How about just to get to the playoffs? We talked about every time the Giants were in that situation this season, the last couple seasons, they folded. Number three, transitional stability. After the turbulence under Bob Melvin, Bochi offers a known quantity. He already understands the Giants culture and expectations. Obviously, he’s got that connection with Buster Posie. If y’all remember, he used to do commercials together, right? They did commercials talking about fish tacos and all this stuff. They were driving in a car. So for a team seeking a reset, continuity via a veteran voice could be very appealing. Number four, the last pro availability and timing with the Rangers moving on. Bochi is now available. That immediately makes the idea more realistic compared to past years when he was under contract for Texas. and it still came up prior to him not being or still being on contract with the Rangers. All right, so obviously there are a ton of pros to this, right? And I know the initial idea is what could be wrong, Allan. Why don’t you just do it? Now, personally, I said that I’m torn, but I also have some cons that might give you cause to pause on bringing back Bruce Bochi. Number one, age, energy, and longevity concerns. At 70, there are fair questions about how long Bochi wants to grind through 162 game season plus postseason runs. This could be a short-term fix rather than a long-term solution. Contradiction to new voice messaging. Posie said part of the reason for Melvin’s dismissal was the need for a quote different voice. Hiring Bochi, a past Giants icon, might feel more like leaning on nostalgia than pushing forward with fresh direction. Number three, the risk of repeating past declines. While Boji’s legacy is gold, his last seasons in San Francisco, they weren’t playoff years. If the same struggles reemerge, it could cast a shadow over both him and Posy’s decision-making. And number four, the last one, potential disconnect with modern trends. The Giants front office has leaned into analytics, the youth development, and evolving styles of roster management. Bochi’s kind of old school instincts might clash with that approach unless he adapts. Here is and that number one thing that was looked at as a con, I think could actually be a pro in a way. The idea of Bruce Bochi being a a short-term fixer, two, three years. Here’s my biggest thing with bringing back Bruce Bochi. Do y’all realize, and of course you because you’re listening to locked on Giants, huge Giants fans, three World Series in five years. That’s not normal. And because it’s not normal, it’s probably not going to happen again. So if you’re bringing back Bruce Bochi, that’s fine. If you are bringing back Bruce Bochi, thinking that you’re going to do what you did the last time Bruce Bochi was in the building and the manager for the Giants, I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it. tugging on heartstrings, saying, “Hey, let’s get that old thing back.” Anybody that’s ever broken up with an ex and tried to get back with an ex, let’s get that old thing back. It’s all fine and good, and then you start realizing, “Hey, this person didn’t like to do the dishes, or hey, this person isn’t a very good textter.” Whatever it is, after a couple months, you start realizing why you broke up with them to begin with, even though you had some really good times. Now, on the flip side of that, you could get back with an ex, not get married, and it still was a good time, right? So, you can bring Bruce Bochi back, and if you’re just looking for, hey, we just want to get back to the postseason. We just want things to be done in a way that they haven’t been done, and Bruce Bochi, like we said, can set that culture, set that standard while we work on getting our quote unquote long-term guy. If that’s the situation, then cool. But everybody out there that thinks that the Giants are going to run out, win another World Series and another World Series and another World Series. And it’s very possible that they do, but so much has changed since Bruce Bochi was the manager. I know he won one with the Rangers, but at that time they got really hot. They had some really good talent and they were paying a lot of people a lot of money. So, let’s just be very clear about that. But it was a great stretch. But besides that great stretch, the Rangers, they’ve kind of struggled as well. And I know they had some injuries. So if you’re in the if you’re in the camp of bringing Bruce Bochi back, I will say this. You have to look at him for what he is now. And you cannot expect for the Giants to do what they did the last time he was manager cuz nobody expected to do any of that, right? Nobody thought the Giants were going to do that. So bringing him back and having those expectations, I don’t think that’s fair to anyone. And I think that it would be so hard to not have those expectations, that is my fear in bringing back Bruce Bochi. But if you are able to compartmentalize and say, I just think Bruce Bochi is going to be a guy that’s going to get the most out of this team and just get into the playoffs. And hey, once you get there, who knows? But I just want to see the playoffs. That’s different. But too many people are going to have it in their mind, the three championships, and I know where I was for every single one. Too many people are going to have that on their mind and that worries me as far as expectations because the Giants exceeded expectations at those times. Let’s think about it. Tim Lindico, Matt Kane, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, the whole crew, Pablo Sandaval, they hit on so many draft picks, Hall of Famers, they made great trades. It was just a different also. It was a different game. So, you can bring him back, but if you think it’s going to be exactly like it was the first go round, I think you might be mistaken. My goal if you were to bring him back, let’s just get to the playoffs and see what happens. Just keep us in the dance, right? I If you’re if you don’t got enough juice to beat the Smurfs or whoever it is in the or the Phillies and if the Mets ever figure it out, those teams, then we get all that. But you cannot have those expectations that Bruce Boschi is going to come back and do exactly what he did over a decade ago. On the other side, let’s talk about some other candidates that Buster Posie might be eyeing as he says he does have some names in mind. Could it be some of these guys? Don’t move. More locked on Giants coming up. 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See thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in 3 to 6 months with Neutrifol. So we have a couple candidates that are floating around for the Giants position. We already talked about Bruce Bochi, the legendary choice. He is no longer under contract with the Rangers. So, that would be an opportunity to have that reunion. Next, Skip Shoeacher, senior adviser for the Texas Rangers, one of the hottest names in baseball, already manager of the year in Miami. He’s young, energetic, and respected by both players and executives. So, if you don’t know the story on Skip Schumacher, it was pretty fascinating. He was manager out there in Miami, had a family tragedy, took some time away, and now he is the senior adviser for the Rangers. So, a lot of people are wanting to get Skip Schumacher back in the fold and do it for their team. So, he’s a name that is probably at the top of a lot of other teams lists as well. Next, you have Mark Hallberg. Mark, first base coach for the San Francisco Giants. He’d obviously be in an internal candidate. He knows the system, has Posy’s trust, and would provide continuity. The question is, does he have enough big league weight to handle the pressure? Next, you have Craig Alberz, associate manager for the Cleveland Guardians. Previously, he worked with the Giants as bullpen and catching coach, known for bullpen handling and player development. Two areas the Giants desperately need to improve. Nick Hunley is another one. Works as a special assistant to the GM again for the Texas Rangers. Former MLB catcher who was teammates with Buster Posey in 2017 2018. Former catcher with deep ties to Buster Posie and the Giants. He doesn’t have the major league managing experience, but his reputation as a communicator is strong. And hey, you got to start somewhere. Now, this one is probably the most out of left field or right field. Tony Vitello, head coach for Tennessee. Now, look, I’ve already said how much I like Drew Gilbert. They already have Blade Tidwell. though this Tennessee thing and I they also have what Gavin Keelin they have a lot of connections to the Tennessee program already but this would be another level. All right, a college coach known for energy development and culture building could be a bold hire to shake things up. The athletic reported that he was on the list and some conversations have been had. This would be very very I guess the only word I would say is surprising and maybe a bit random. I looked it up. It has been a very long time. Okay. It has been a very long time since this is this had happened. It was coach Hower bench coach for the Yankees for a while in 1979. He left in 79 to coach at Florida State and then returned to the Yankees as manager in 1980. But that’s not even the same thing per se because he had familiarity with the Yankees. That is not what this would be with Tony Vatello. I don’t think it would happen. But I I I’m just appreciative that something random like this even popped up. Who would have thought something like this would come up? I have a just another question in general that I want to ask around a bit. What is the pipeline for double A and AAA coaches and managers? How often do they get to bump up? Right. You never really hear about the AAA coach or the AAA manager getting an opportunity to coach the the big show. And obviously they have familiarity with the team as well, but those are the candidates that we’re seeing. Of course, there are a couple more names floating around. If if I were to put them in order, I’d probably put Skip Schumacher number one just because and let’s just ignore Bruce Bochi for this specific uh exercise. I would put Skip Schumacher number one because we know that he did it number one at the big league level, number two for a National League team, and he did it with a payroll that was much less than the Giants. So, Skip Schumacher is probably my number one. I like the idea of Mark Halberg, an internal guy. I I appreciate promoting from within. I think that’s always a cool thing to do. Nick Hunley. I think that it would work out, but at the same time, he is a catcher and he’s connected to Buster Posey. I wouldn’t pro I probably wouldn’t have him as high as others. And I don’t know what to do with Tony Vital cuz I just don’t think it’s going to happen. But he he’s just him and Bruce Bochi are on two different lists to me as far as and Bruce Bochi is definitely realistic, but Tony Vital I don’t think very realistic. I think in a in a another world or another dimension that would be a lot of fun. But yeah, I’m not sure. We talked about this on yesterday’s show. If you’re going to swing and miss and you swing and miss like this, I mean, that could co that could cost Buster Posey his job, right? You go with Skip Schumacher and it doesn’t work out. People are probably still looking at Buster, but I don’t think that would cost Buster his job. If you go with somebody like Tony Vitello and it doesn’t work and you had other names available, let’s not sleep on how big of a brand the Giants are. There’s some other openings out there, but let’s not sleep on how big of a brand the Giants are. If you skip on Skip Schumacher, no pun intended, and you go for a Tony Vitello and it doesn’t work out. I mean, all these other guys at least have connections to the major league ranks, right? Even if you went with Nick Hunley, catcher, catcher, that might get you canned, but maybe not even because he doesn’t have that managerial experience. But if it doesn’t work out with Tony Bello, you’re definitely getting canned. I appreciate it because it is a new voice, younger guy, and you are making sure that you’re headed in a different direction. But that’s a heck of a gamble for Buster. That’s a heck of a gamble for Buster. I like him as a college coach. I don’t really know how he resonates as a as a a manager in Major League Baseball. I mean, it’s the same idea to a lesser degree with Deion Sanders with Prime. Everybody likes what he does at the college level. I don’t know how that would resonate in the in the NFL. So, some exciting names that are popping up already, and I know Buster Posey is going to take his time. So, we have plenty of time to break this thing down every single day here on the podcast, on the show, as we try to figure out who is the best fit for the San Francisco Giants. One more segment for you. Speaking of the best fit, what are the Giants looking for? Let’s break all that down to close out the show. Don’t move. More Lockdown Giants coming up. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer you don’t want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. Pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you’ll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love how FanDuel gives me so many ways to play. I’ve built parlays, tried player props, and even followed the live lines during games. It makes watching football even more exciting when you’ve got a little something riding on the action. Whether you’re a casual fan or love diving into the stats, FanDuel makes the game day experience so much better. So, what are you waiting for? Visit fanuel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. So, what are the Giants looking for in a manager? The Giants front office led by Buster Posey and Zack Manassian made it clear firing Bob Melvin wasn’t about personality. It was about performance and direction. Now the question becomes, what kind of a leader do they want next? So these are some of the non-negotiables that it feels like Buster Posie and the front office have talked about. Communication with the front office. Posey values alignment. All right. They emphasize that they want a manager who collaborates on roster usage and isn’t rigid. The clubhouse leadership, the next manager needs to hold players accountable but also connect with younger talent as the farm system pipeline grows. I think that is a huge note and I’m not trying to say that that Bruce Bochi can’t connect with those guys and honestly that would lead you to have the conversation about Tony Vitello again. It’s got to be something in the middle. That’s that’s how I feel. And and by the way, just one more note on the Tony Vitello thing. He’s got a ridiculously good setup at Tennessee. They play in a band box. They hit home runs all over the place. They go to the College World Series every season. he gets treated like a god out there. I don’t even know that he’d want to move on from that position. I just had to say that real quick. But connecting with the younger talent, I think is huge. And I don’t know, right? I mean, the Pete Carols of the world, it’s not impossible for older guys to connect with the young players. But the fact that they are very big on that again makes me worry a little bit about Bruce Bochi. I’ll never forget I was watching Bruce Bochi uh when he pulled up Brandon Belt all those years ago and Brandon Belt was crying and he said, “Hey, do you want to you want a beverage or something?” So Bruce Bochi does have that in him. But again, that was a decade ago. That was a very long time ago. How would it resonate now? Bullpen and situational management. This was Bob Melvin’s Achilles heel in 2025. Too many collapses in late games. Posie knows the Giants can’t afford to repeat mistakes here. Adaptability to analytics. Posey, a modern thinker, wants a manager who can blend data with the human side of the game. The last note I’ll say when it comes to Bruce Bochi on this is it is kind of overstated that he doesn’t care about statistics or analytics at all. Right. I do think that Bruce Bochi understands that the game has changed more than a lot of people give him credit for. you know, he does come off as this old school cat, and for the most part, he is, but it’s more than that. And it’s not as if he’s just allergic to analytics. And I’ve heard that before, a lot of people thinking that he didn’t want anything to do with analytics and that not necessarily uh being the case. This is a or this could be a shift from a steady veteran voice to a a flexible forward-leading candidate. Posie himself hinted in the NBC Bay Area piece that he’s open to all kinds of candidates, younger, older, internal, external, which shows he’s not boxing himself into one mold. This search isn’t just about filling a dugout seat. It’s about setting the tone for what the Giants want their identity to be in 2026 and beyond. Can I just say this that I’m a little bit worried and I’m being very honest with you. I’m a little bit worried that this could actually be a little too open-ended for the Giants. I and maybe Buster Posey isn’t saying everything out loud, which would be very smart not to do so, but the idea that they’re just open to anything and they’ll know it when they see it, kind of worries me, right? I’m a guy. I like to know what you’re looking for, what measurables you want, right? What are the things? We know we discussed the non-negotiables, but that describes almost any candidate. It just it just eliminates certain candidates. And based on what I just read, the only the only non-negotiables, it seems like Bruce Bochi would be the one that would struggle with some of those talking about connecting with the young players and things like that. So, this kind of worries me. I have my I have a little sister and she was big into acting and she said the hardest the hardest auditions that she would have is when they were very broad and very vague. And clearly the directors, producers, the casting directors, they weren’t sure what they were looking for, but they kept saying, “We’ll know when we see it.” And part of that is they want you to be as natural as you can when you’re auditioning and not pretend to be something even though it is acting. And she said those were the toughest ones cuz ultimately they didn’t really know what they wanted. And you’re you’re trying to be what you want or what they want you to be, but they don’t know what they want until they see it. and Buster Posie hasn’t put a timeline on this this off seasonason. There’s going to be some good free agent names available. I’m a little bit worried that this thing could be a little too open-ended. And I’m honestly hoping that Buster is just not telling us everything. I’m actually hoping that Buster is more so just playing it cool and just not telling everybody what’s going on because I don’t think that you should open it up. It should be open to everyone, but you should have more of an idea of what you’re looking for, right? If we were to look at this Giants manager position like a normal job that me or you would apply for, right? And it says your qualifications and then it says your experience and it says what you will do. Can Buster Posie look at that and when he gets in the the different resumes, will he be able to eliminate people or will it be so broad, right? At the very least, it’s okay if you want somebody that has MLB experience. It’s okay if you want somebody that has managerial experience. This is three three fired coaches in three years. You can’t really afford to get it wrong, Buster. You can’t. So, I think that this might be a little too wide open. And maybe Buster thinks to himself, “Hey, once I know more, I’ll start to boil it down and I’ll know what I want, what I don’t want. But I would like to hear more guard rails on what the Giants are looking for. They can be whatever they want, but obviously within reason. You want to give everybody an opportunity, but it’s okay to say no, you have to have MLB experience. No, you have to have some some teams just want guys that are connected to the Giants in some way. So, it feels really open right now and and I am going to keep a close eye on how open this thing remains because that makes it very hard to know what you’re looking for. But, as the old saying goes, I guess when you know, you know. And maybe that’s how Buster Posey is acting. When you have somebody like Bruce Bochi and and guys that you have a connection with, it makes things a little bit tougher. And maybe you think you know something that you actually don’t. We’ll have to see. We will have to see. All right, thank you for watching Locked On Giants with your boy Allan Styles. Be sure to follow me on social media at the Styles File Styles with an I. Also, the Locked On Giants official account. Thank you for making Locked On Giants your first listen. if you’re watching on YouTube or wherever you may be listening to your podcast. For your second listen, find the all night locked on MLB game night every game every night until a World Series champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale. Find MLB game night on locked on MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. We will talk to you tomorrow. Peace.

The San Francisco Giants are moving on from Bob Melvin and the focus now shifts to what’s next. Could Bruce Bochy really come back for one more run? Bochy himself says he’s “open to a conversation” with Buster Posey, and that has the fanbase buzzing. We break down the pros and cons of a Bochy reunion, run through the full list of rumored candidates — from safe bets like Skip Schumaker to bold swings like Tony Vitello — and lay out exactly what the Giants’ front office is looking for in their next manager. With 2026 around the corner, this hire will set the tone for the franchise’s future.

0:00 Bruce Bochy OPEN to convo
10:26 Other Candidates
18:00 What the Giants are looking for

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