Buster Posey arrived in the Giants’ front office with the kind of built-in optimism most executives can only dream about. His playing résumé was already sealed, and that naturally raised expectations once he became President of Baseball Operations. A year and a half into the job, though, the picture is a lot murkier.
The early idea was straightforward enough: add proven names and build a core that could keep the Giants competitive. Posey handed out long-term deals to Matt Chapman and Willy Adames, two players who were supposed to hold down the left side of the infield for years.
Chapman looked like a smart bet when the contracts were signed. He was productive in 2025, but injuries and a drop in production have followed in 2026.
Adames has been even more complicated. The power has shown up, but the batting average and defense have not. At times this season, he has been nearly unplayable.
The big swing came later with Rafael Devers. In June of 2025, the Giants landed him in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, expecting another major bat to round out the offense.
Instead, Devers has been solid without becoming the superstar slugger the Giants were chasing. The commitment is massive, too: seven years and $211 million remain on the deal.
Posey also made a change on the dugout side, replacing Bob Melvin with Tony Vitello. The 2026 season has gone badly, but the blame doesn’t land entirely on Vitello, and it sounds like he’s likely to be back next year.
If there’s been a real bright spot in this stretch, it’s what happened after the losses piled up. Once it became clear the plan wasn’t working, Posey pivoted and tore things down. That deserves credit.
The Giants started dealing away pieces such as Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval, and Mike Yazstremski. In 2026, they moved Luis Arraez, Caleb Killian, Erik Miller, and Heliot Ramos. Those moves have helped push the Giants’ farm system up to No. 5 in MLB Pipeline’s rankings.
That gives the organization a much better foundation than it had before. Still, the early returns on Posey’s front-office run are uneven. For now, a solid C feels about right: not great, but not disastrous either.
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Giants Are Paying For Three Offseason Bets That Went Wrong
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There is also the matter of the dugout, where Tony Vitellos inexperienced coaching staff has been learning on the job in a season that has not offered much margin for error. Put together, those choices have left the Giants looking at an offseason that needs more than a light touch, with some hard decisions ahead if they want to avoid carrying the same problems into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Jung Hoo Lees Right Field Move Still Isnt Fixing This Giants Problem
Jung Hoo Lees shift to right field was supposed to ease one of the Giants nagging concerns, but the early returns have been uneven at best. Against the Red Sox, he misplayed a line drive that rolled into a triple, a moment that fed into a 6-4 loss and kept the focus on whether the move is actually solving anything.
The Giants made the switch hoping a different defensive home would help Lee settle in and provide cleaner value in the outfield, but the underlying numbers still show a negative trend. For a club trying to tighten up every part of its game, Lees adjustment has become one of those small but stubborn issues that keeps showing up in the margins. [Read more 🡒]