Buster Posey’s plans to return to the Bay Area may have stirred up some speculation about managing the Giants down the line, but don’t count on No. 28 returning to the dugout.
Posey recently told The Athletic that his family is moving back to the Bay Area, having packed up his home in Georgia earlier this month after moving there in 2022.
Posey, 36, said the Bay Area truly felt like home: Posey and his wife Kristen’s two sets of twins were born during Posey’s career in San Francisco, one set born in 2011 and another adopted in 2020.
His move will allow the former catcher to watch the Giants more often and see team’s new wave of players, led by Patrick Bailey at his old position.
But the move has also led to some speculation: Could this be a sign that Posey wants to manage? 95.7 The Game’s “Morning Roast” hosts Bonta Hill and Joe “Butcher Boy” Shasky seem to think so.
Could Buster Posey be in line to manage the #SFGiants?
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— The Morning Roast (@MorningRoast957) August 17, 2023
“I think Buster Posey’s being groomed to manage this team in the future,” Hill said. “If you’re a free agent out there, who are you going to go play for? Buster Posey or Gabe Kapler?”
“Posey,” Shasky replied, before asking: “Who are the players going to listen to more? If you have a young catcher that you’re trying to groom, who better to learn from, day-to-day, than Buster Posey in the dugout every day?”
It’s certainly a tantalizing thought, and something Posey himself even pondered in April 2022. But it won’t happen now.
First, there’s Posey’s ownership stake in the organization, which he acquired last September. While that will keep him involved with the team, it will also be the reason he won’t manage it, as there’s an MLB rule that stipulates that no one who owns stock in a team can manage it.
This rule most recently came into play in May 1977, when then-Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner took over as the team’s manager for an expected two-week stint. But after one game, MLB reminded Turner of the rule and forced him to give up the job.
Beyond the rules, managing seems to go against everything Posey has said and done in the past four years. Posey didn’t play in the shortened 2020 season to be there for his newborn twins and retired after his age-34 season in 2021, expressing a desire to be with his family full-time.
“The reason I’m retiring is I want to be able to do more stuff from February to November with my family,” Posey said during his retirement ceremony in November 2021.
In fact, he was asked on an episode of ‘Foul Territory’ earlier this year whether he ever thinks about being a manager.
“No, I don’t. We all know the time commitment to that, right? That’s probably more than a player,” Posey explained. “So I don’t.”
While Posey can certainly be more involved with the organization during those times by moving west again, the day-to-day life with the big league team would take him away from his family again.
On top of that, the organization seems content with the stewardship of its current manager in Kapler. In a Q&A with the San Francisco Chronicle, Giants chairman Greg Johnson indicated the organization’s belief in Kapler and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is as high as ever.
“Nothing’s changed as far as our desire [to have them return],” Johnson said.
The Giants have struggled offensively since the All-Star break, and Kapler expressed some frustration by pushing back at a reporter’s question on Wednesday. But the team is currently 64-57 and would be the second of three wild card teams if the season ended today.
Posey’s move may bring him back near the team for a playoff push, but don’t expect him to take over as manager anytime soon — if ever.
