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The president of baseball operations of the San Francisco Giants, Buster Posey, believes the city and the organization still present an attractive option for players, even if Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge rejected them in free agency.
He feels San Francisco ranks among the best cities in the US, while the Giants have a rich history and a loyal fan base.
Buster Posey was a first-round pick for the San Francisco Giants in the 2008 MLB draft and was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2010.
The former catcher played 12 seasons for the team, making seven All-Star teams and winning three World Series titles. He later joined the Giants' ownership group before being appointed president of baseball operations at the end of the 2024 season.
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On Tuesday, Posey was a guest on "The Show" podcast produced by The New York Post and hosted by MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. He shared his perspective regarding the city of San Francisco and the Giants fans during the show. [30:52 - 34:59]
"I can't answer for anybody else, right? I can only talk about my own experience, and I think it speaks for itself," Posey said. "The fact that my wife and I moved our family back out here after just a year of being back in Georgia. I think it's one of the greatest cities in the country and one of the more beautiful places in the country as well."
"It's a great fan base," Posey added. "It's a fan base that goes back generations. And it's something that I have in the forefront of my mind. When we're talking to our fans, these are fans that some of them have remembered the Giants even when they were in New York, before they came to San Francisco. It's a proud fan base, and it's a great fan base to play for."
The San Francisco Giants came close to signing Aaron Judge when he became a free agent at the end of the 2022 season, before he decided to go back to the New York Yankees. They were also unsuccessful in their bid to sign Shohei Ohtani after he joined their archrivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, ahead of the 2024 campaign.
"The personalities matter as well": Buster Posey on signing players for the Giants
Buster Posey explained his strategy to build the San Francisco Giants team for the future after missing out on marquee free agents such as Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in the past few years.
"A lot of it is [about] playing good baseball and getting people in Northern California excited about the Giants and bringing in great personalities," Posey said. "That's something I started to learn towards the end of my career. Yes, you want great players. Yes, you want wins. But the personalities matter as well."
The Giants completed a six-year, $151 million contract with All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman towards the end of the 2024 campaign before signing shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal during the offseason.
Buster Posey's front office also added three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to their roster on a one-year, $15 million contract.
