SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ managerial search just got underway, but one big name is already off the board for president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
Posey said Wednesday that he doesn’t view his longtime manager and franchise icon Bruce Bochy as a candidate to replace Bob Melvin, who was fired on Monday after two seasons at the helm of the Giants.
Bochy, who managed Posey for 11 of his 12 seasons in the big leagues and helped bring three World Series titles to San Francisco in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14, was instantly linked to the Giants after the Rangers announced that they “mutually agreed” to end the 70-year-old skipper’s tenure in Texas on Monday.
Posey said he spoke with Bochy a couple of days ago and offered him a chance to return to the Giants in some capacity, just not as the club’s new manager.
“The door is always open here for some sort of role,” Posey said during his end-of-season press conference at Oracle Park. “But the way I think things are coming into picture in my mind with where we want to go next, I don’t see us going that route with Boch.”
Posey has kept mum about who he might be targeting to fill the Giants’ managerial vacancy, but he said he plans to begin the interview process this week. Possible candidates for the job include former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz, former Giants catcher Nick Hundley and San Francisco first-base coach Mark Hallberg.
Schumaker, 45, is likely to be in demand this offseason, but he’s already working as a senior advisor in the Rangers’ front office and is viewed as the heavy favorite to succeed Bochy in Texas. Albernaz, 42, spent four seasons as the Giants’ bullpen and catching coach under former manager Gabe Kapler from 2020-23 and was viewed as a frontrunner for the Marlins and White Sox’s managerial openings before withdrawing his name from consideration last offseason.
Hundley, 42, is also serving as a senior advisor for the Rangers and was Posey’s backup with the Giants from 2017-18. (It certainly didn’t go unnoticed that Hundley showed up for the Giants’ Willie Mac Award ceremony at Oracle Park last week.) Hallberg, 39, also has longstanding ties to Posey, as the two were college teammates and roommates at Florida State University. Hallberg was given the opportunity to interview for the Giants’ last managerial opening two years ago and ended up being one of the few coaches who were retained from Kapler’s staff and stayed on to work under Melvin.
Posey hasn’t given any indication as to whether he’d prefer to hire a first-time manager or someone with more experience in the role.
“I think we’re open,” Posey said earlier this week. “For me, age is somewhat irrelevant. … It’s somebody that’s going to be obsessive about the details, obsessive about work, obsessive about getting the most out of our players, getting the most out of our staff. Someone who will inspire confidence in our players on the field and also all the interactions that happen off the field as well.”
The Giants went 81-81 and finished in third place in the National League West in 2025, the first season of Posey’s three-year contract. Posey, 38, said he plans to fulfill that commitment, though he said his current priority is finding ways to bolster San Francisco’s roster, which will need more pitching depth and could use upgrades at second base, corner outfield and backup catcher this offseason.
“I’m fully committed, but I think the focus has to be on the present,” Posey said. “That’s the way I try to look at it. Would I like to do it longer, sure, but I think the focus has to be in the moment.”
Eldridge to undergo surgery
The Giants announced that first baseman Bryce Eldridge, the club’s No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur in his left wrist on Thursday. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles and will entail an eight-week recovery process.
Eldridge, who turns 21 on Oct. 20, went 3-for-28 (.107) with two doubles and four RBIs over 10 games after making his big league debut on Sept. 15. The 6-foot-7 rookie should be in line to serve as the Giants’ Opening Day first baseman next year, though the club will have to figure out how to divide playing time between him and fellow slugger Rafael Devers.