Buster Posey’s place in San Francisco Giants history is secure. Anchoring the team’s most successful period in history assures him of that. So, when he was installed as president of baseball operations a few years ago, it seemed like a dream scenario for the organization: One of the most popular players the franchise had ever produced would lead the way back to the playoffs and buy ownership some much-needed goodwill in the process.
Fast-forward to today, and … well, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Giants fans are as angry as they’ve been in recent memory as they watch an on-field product that has them clamoring for the .500 years of Bob Melvin. And Posey, for all his goodwill and good memories, is firmly in the crosshairs.
Frankly, it’s deserved.
Article continues below this ad
The roster that’s been constructed, and the decisions that have been made regarding player development, are equally baffling. A consistent lineup is a pipe dream. This is a club that has a lot of valuable parts that somehow can’t manage to gel into something resembling a competent baseball team.
Is this all Posey’s fault? Of course not. There is an organizational rot that has infested the Giants from the top down. Ownership seems to be more interested in buying theaters and selling off pieces to private equity firms than spending money on things like, say, pitching. The on-field product has never felt more like an afterthought than it does now, a way for a real estate firm to make enough money to keep buying properties. I never thought I’d be pining for the days when the Giants simply tried to break even, but here we are.
But the buck must stop with someone, and for better or worse, that someone is Posey. Just take a look at some of the head-scratching decisions that have led the Giants to where they are now:
Article continues below this ad
Ignoring an obvious bullpen need: Last year, the Giants traded away Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers at the deadline and lost Randy Rodriguez to elbow surgery. They made a late run at the Wild Card and were undone, in part, because they lacked a reliable bullpen. So, it would stand to reason that replenishing what they’d lost would be top of mind last offseason, right? Nope — in a winter that saw a number of late-inning options sign for relatively reasonable salaries, the Giants added virtually nobody to their relief corps, save for a few guys coming off catastrophic injuries. It made no sense then, and it still doesn’t now.
Here’s how Ketel Marte hitting a walk-off homer for the Diamondbacks looked and sounded on the NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast.
Duane Kuiper on the Giants play-by-play. ⚾️🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/FONrPRP9GB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 20, 2026
Jerking around Bryce Eldridge: Why is Eldridge in the big leagues if he’s not going to play every day? Why is he being taken out of the lineup a day after hitting a home run, or a day after getting two hits? Why is he losing ABs to the likes of Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan? How, exactly, is having him learn to pinch hit helping with his development? The Giants’ plan for Eldridge has been such a disaster that even national baseball writers are noticing. How much longer can they wait to see if their top prospect can anchor the middle of their lineup? It certainly would help things if he could!
Constructing a poorly balanced roster: There’s some dark humor in the fact that the year the Giants finally broke their opening day left-fielder streak, they were reduced to starting a catcher there by mid-May. Their roster is infield-heavy, lacks MLB-caliber outfielders and has too many weak spots. Sure, no one expected Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman to be the weak spots. But even some of the brightest spots on this team have shined in spite of Posey’s moves, not because of them.
Article continues below this ad
The Giants clearly didn’t believe Casey Schmitt could handle an everyday job when they signed Luis Arraez this offseason, but Schmitt has hit his way into the lineup and forced the roster mess. Meanwhile, Posey signed Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser to fill out the rotation instead of leaving a spot open for any young starters like Trevor McDonald, a move that has looked worse as Mahle and Houser struggle. McDonald, on the other hand, looked great in his first three starts in the big leagues.
Hiring Tony Vitello: A lot of fans are giving Vitello a pass because he’s learning on the job, but one of the big questions surrounding Vitello before games began was how he would manage a clubhouse if things went south. Well, the Giants are heading south as fast as they can, and Vitello doesn’t seem to have any answers. Sure, the roster has its issues, but this team should be better than a 96-loss pace. Vitello might turn out to be a good MLB manager, but he was a controversial choice that Posey didn’t have to make as his first hire. But he did, and he’s tied to him as a result, just like Farhan Zaidi was to Gabe Kapler.
Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants’ president of baseball operations, appears before a baseball game between the Giants and the Miami Marlins in San Francisco on April 25, 2026.
Jeff Chiu/AP
When you add that all up and look at the 20-29 record, it’s fair to ask where the Giants, and Posey, go from here because there are no easy solutions. A massive sell-off doesn’t seem to be in the cards, since ownership is reluctant to commit to a full rebuild, and they’d have trouble moving a lot of these contracts anyway. A partial sell-off might bring back a few decent prospects but does nothing to assure fans that the Giants will be competitive in the next few years. And moving on from Vitello after one season doesn’t seem likely either, since it would be a massive admission of not knowing what the hell they’re doing.
Article continues below this ad
Stay informed, and entertained.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy.
When Posey was hired, I wrote that the hope would be in the pantheon of superstar players turned executives and that he’d be more Mario Lemieux than Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter. That’s not looking so great at the moment, but in fairness, it’s early in his tenure. There will be opportunities to right the ship.
But will he? Things look bleak at the moment — this team could easily lose 100 games, Eldridge is already making cryptic comments to the media and established stars are mostly performing well below expectations. It’s May, but this already has the feel of a lost season. What does that mean for the short- and long-term future of the Giants, especially ahead of a possible lockout? You can’t hide your real estate ambitions behind baseball if there are no games being played.
As for Posey? Nothing can tarnish his legacy as a player. Flags fly forever. But as an exec? Things are getting ugly fast.
Article continues below this ad