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After firing manager Bob Melvin Monday morning, a day after the Giants completed another mediocre season, president of baseball operations Buster Posey provided hints on the type of manager he wants next.
Melvin was hired under the previous administration, so this will be Posey’s first crack at bringing in a manager. Having played for old-school Bruce Bochy and new-school Gabe Kapler, he said he would draw from both during his search process.
Does he prefer a young manager with new ideas? An experienced manager with a successful track record? Someone outside the organization? Someone in house? Someone with ties to the Giants? He said he already has a list of names, but no specific timetable: “I have ideas. I have people in mind.”
“I think we’re open,” Posey said Monday, just a couple of hours after meeting with Melvin at Oracle Park to let him go. “For me, age is somewhat irrelevant. The experience part, you can have different takes on that. … I’d say what I want is somebody who’s going to be obsessive about the details, obsessive about work, obsessive about getting the most out of players, getting the most out of our staff, and somebody who will inspire confidence in our players on the field and all the interactions that happen off the field as well.”
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Bochy, who was Posey’s manager for World Series runs in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and won a fourth World Series with Texas, has managed the final year of his contract with the Rangers and would be available. His future with the Rangers is unclear.
“I don’t know what [Bochy’s] status is,” Posey said. “I haven’t heard. So I can’t speak on that.”
Reached by The Standard on Monday, Bochy said he’s sorting out what he’ll do next and would always be open to a conversation with Posey, his former decorated catcher.
Nor would Posey comment on his Florida State teammate and roommate Mark Hallberg, who has been a base coach for the Giants the past six years and interviewed two years ago for the job Melvin got.
“I’ll keep all my names tight,” Posey said. “I just think for the sake of this process, that’s probably the best thing to do.”
There are plenty of possible candidates who could be a fit. Skip Schumaker is the top free agent in the industry after stunningly guiding the Marlins to the postseason in 2023; he’s now an adviser in the Rangers organization and is lined up to succeed Bochy.
If Posey wants a younger voice, he could consider Nick Hundley, a former Giants catcher and Willie Mac Award winner; Mark DeRosa, another former Giant who managed in the World Baseball Classic and works for MLB Network; or Craig Albernaz, a Giants coach under Kapler who’s considered managerial material and currently is an assistant under Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt.
Santa Rosa native Brandon Hyde, who grew up a Giants fan, guided the Orioles to 101 wins in 2023 and is now unemployed. George Lombard Sr. is the Tigers’ bench coach and has been in consideration for other managerial jobs. Luis Rojas, son of Giants legend Felipe Alou, managed the Mets and is now a Yankees coach.
Posey must abide by the Selig Rule, which requires teams to consider a diverse pool of candidates for all top baseball operations positions, including manager.
As for why Posey exercised Melvin’s option for 2026 in early July, three months before firing him, he said he did it to help ignite the team, which was in a funk at the time.
“I think we all felt that the season was going in the direction that we didn’t want it to go, and the hope was that picking up that option provided a morale boost within the clubhouse. … Unfortunately, we didn’t employ the type of baseball that we needed to play to get in the playoffs, and that’s why we’re here.”
Posey mentioned multiple times Monday wanting a new voice “that can take us in a different direction” and “lead these guys to get us back to where we all want to go.” But it’s deeper than that. The Giants don’t match up with the Dodgers or Padres in the National League West and need significant upgrades around the roster if they’re going to compete with the best teams.
The Giants’ outfield defense was iffy. So was their fundamental play at times, and their running game all season. Posey said he wants a manager who can help improve on the game’s basics: “The details, the small things, are really important, and the hope is to find somebody who can push the group to a higher level of making sure all those little small fundamentals are emphasized.”
The coaching staff will change, too. Melvin’s coaches were alerted of the firing and told that the new manager and front office would determine the new staff. Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third-base coach Matt Williams were Melvin hires and likely won’t return.
Melvin has been a big-league manager for 22 years and is the first since Alvin Dark to manage both the Giants and A’s. He has said his Giants gig would be his last as a manager.
Posey said that firing Melvin “wasn’t enjoyable. I knew how much this job meant to Bob. He’s somebody that I’ve admired as a manager for a long time. So it was not something that I was looking forward to. Bob was extremely gracious, and he cares about this organization, he cares about the players, and he wants to see them be successful.”
It was the third straight year a high-level Giants executive was let go, following Kapler and Farhan Zaidi.
“We’ve talked about it a lot, what the standards are for the Giants,” Posey said. “We have high standards, and I hold myself to those same standards. I understand fully the position that I’m in now. My job and the team’s success is evaluated accordingly as well. Without a doubt, I hope that there can be consistency in these leadership positions. We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re making runs for the playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves. That’s what the city deserves.”