Giants hire former catcher Buster Posey as president of baseball operations, replacing Farhan Zaidi

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have hired former All-Star catcher Buster Posey as president of baseball operations and fired Farhan Zaidi.

Team chairman Greg Johnson made the announcement Monday after the Giants finished 80-82 in manager Bob Melvin's first season — with one more victory than in 2023. San Francisco hasn't reached the playoffs since winning the NL West in 2021.

The 37-year-old Posey joined the club's ownership group in September 2022, less than a year after his retirement in November 2021.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

Posey was a seven-time All-Star with a career .302 batting average. The 2012 NL MVP was selected fifth overall by San Francisco in the 2008 amateur draft out of Florida State.

His former manager, Bruce Bochy, now guiding the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers, is confident Posey will succeed.

“I’m excited for Buster. He has such a great feel for the game," Bochy said via text message. "He did a great job leading on the field, so sure he will excel in this leadership role.”

Posey and wife Kristen moved their family back to the East Bay suburb of Lafayette last year after a stint living in their native Georgia immediately following his retirement. He called it a career after the Giants' franchise-record 107-win season in 2021. Posey opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Zaidi was hired away from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in November 2018.

“We appreciate Farhan’s commitment to the organization and his passion for making an impact in our community during his six years with the Giants," Johnson said. "Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped, and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary.”

Johnson, Posey and Melvin were set to address the media on Tuesday at Oracle Park.

It was unclear which candidates from underrepresented groups were considered by the Giants, as required by Major League Baseball.

“We are also fully committed to following the Selig Rule and ensuring diversity in our hiring for any of our open positions,” Johnson said.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Janie Mccauley, The Associated Press