Pete Putila out as general manager, SF Giants to begin search right away

The SF Giants filled one major leadership role on Monday when they announced that Buster Posey would be taking over as president of baseball operations. However, they will have another role to fill as Posey confirmed that Pete Putila would not continue as general manager. The Giants are expected to begin a search for a new general manager right away.

Pete Putila out as general manager, SF Giants to begin search right away

For what it is worth, it did sound like Putila would remain with San Francisco in a different role. The details for that role have not been hammered out just yet.

Putila had served as the team's general manager since October of 2022. He took over for Scott Harris, who was hired by the Detroit Tigers to be their team president of baseball operations.

When Farhan Zaidi hired Putila, it was done to create a balance in terms of player development. Putila previously worked for the Houston Astros in a number of different roles, especially on the player development side.

The longtime Astros executive got his career started with Houston as a baseball operations intern in 2011 and rose up to be an assistant general manager by 2019. He became a trusted voice in Houston despite the front office turmoil caused by the sign-stealing scandal in 2017.

Much of Putila's work was behind the scenes but he was noticeably present during Jung Hoo Lee's final games with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO. That turned out to be a bit of foreshadowing as Lee would sign with the Giants on a six-year pact shortly his KBO tenure came to an end.

During Putila's brief time as general manager, there were some positive development stories. Perhaps, the most notable was Luis Matos' rapid rise through the minors leagues in 2023 after a disappointing 2022 season in the lower minors.

On the mound, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp were among the pitchers to experience velocity bumps shortly after being drafted by the Giants organization. Was Putila responsible for that? It is always hard to say but he was charged with leading player development during that time.

The Giants certainly need improvement on the development side, so keeping Putila would be a positive sign to a fascinating time for the organization. However, the organization needs to continue adding to its developmental practices to see better results down the road.

If you are wondering who might take over, Jeremy Shelley is one name that was mentioned during Posey's press conference. Shelley has been with the Giants in a variety of roles since 1996.