Murray: There is a "lot of influence from Buster Posey" in SF Giants managerial opening

The candidate list for the SF Giants managerial vacancy has been taking shape over the past week with several internal candidates interviewed. One person who will not be interviewing for the job is Buster Posey, but he is expected to have an influence nonetheless.

Murray: There is a "lot of influence from Buster Posey" in SF Giants managerial opening

Perhaps, the most frequently asked question about the Giants is when Posey will become the manager? Is he the manager yet? Why not? He is obviously a very popular figure in the organization. Arguably the most popular figure, but he does not want to manage.

With that being said, he is expected to have a say in who the next manager will be. In the latest Baseball Insiders podcast, Robert Murray of FanSided speculated that Posey will be just one of a few people involved in the search for the next manager:

One thing I do believe is that there is a lot of influence from Buster Posey in this decision. I think he is going to end up having a strong voice here. It's going to be [Farhan] Zaidi. It's going to be Posey. It's going to be Giants ownership.

So, Posey will not be on the steps of the dugout during each game next season, but he is going to have a say in who is. This should come as no surprise as Posey is a franchise icon, having led the Giants to three World Series titles during his 12-year career. He accomplished just about everyting under the sun in baseball.

Of course, he retired following the 2021 season but did not step too far away from baseball as he joined the Giants' ownership group last season. As the Giants look for their next manager, the organization will seemingly be asking a lot from Posey in this decision.

Interestingly, Murray went on to say that Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg is "absolutely a real candidate." This is similar to what Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle said last week with Hallberg being considered the top internal candidate.

Why is this important? Hallberg was a college teammate and roommate of Posey's when they attended Florida State University in the late 2000's. Hallberg and Posey have remained in contact since then, especially with the former joining the Giants organization in 2018.

Maybe it is nothing, but it feels like if you connect the dots, then Hallberg has an inside track at being the next manager. A lot can change as more interviews are conducted, but one thing seems certain and that is Posey will play a role in this search.