SF Giants executive Buster Posey prepared to enter next season in a potential lame-duck year

In 2027, Buster Posey will enter the final year of a three-year deal. In his post-mortem press conference, the SF Giants executive declared that there have been no discussions about an extension, setting up a potential lame-duck season.

Posey also indicated that he has no timetable for extension talks to take place and that he is prepared to work until the end of his deal. What happens after 2027 may largely depend on how the team does next season.

In Posey’s two years at the helm, the club has put up a 146-178 record. This included a disastrous 97-win season this year.

That is simply not good enough to merit an extension, and was never part of the plan. When Posey took over, the Giants had just signed Matt Chapman to an extension. Shortly thereafter, he signed Willy Adames to a long-term deal and traded for Rafael Devers. He quickly invested a lot of capital into the roster.

When the former Giants catcher took over, this was an organization that needed to be built from the ground up. Instead, he pursued the opposite approach, quickly putting together a core in his vision that he believed could help the club compete in the near future.

That core has rarely resembled a competitive group. In fairness, the farm system has been built up during his tenure, so there is a good chance that the organization can still be rebuilt from the ground up. That said, many of the organization’s top prospects were brought in by the previous regime, especially on the international market, and a luck of the draw helped them land the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft.

Next season could be an odd one in how the SF Giants operate

Next season could be an odd year in how the Giants operate. When Posey took over, there was little clarity of how his tenure would end, given his legacy as a player and the fact that he is a minority owner.

Posey’s potential lame-duck status could create complications in 2027. How does he thread the needle between next year and future seasons? Does he even thread the needle? It is hard for an executive to operate under the guise of a lame-duck season, but this is a position the Giants have put themselves in.

A 97-loss season would normally lead to sweeping changes. However, that is hard to do when the person in charge has one year left on his deal.

The leadership group, headlined by Posey, Zack Minasian, and Tony Vitello will remain in charge. Within the next 365 days, the ownership group will know if that was the right call or if they wasted everyone’s time. That said, everyone in that leadership group should be under evaluation at this point.

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