SAN FRANCISCO -- About 15 minutes before Buster Posey sat down at the podium, a large open space on the club level at Oracle Park started to fill up with team employees. There were coaches and trainers and representatives from every department in the organization, but an absence was more notable.
Pete Putila wasn't in the room, and during an introductory press conference, Posey said that Putila has been relieved of his general manager duties and will take on a different role with the organization. The search for a new GM will start immediately, although the Giants have not held any interviews to this point.
That's in part because they have to seek permission from other organizations, but mostly because of a simple fact that Posey mentioned a couple of times Tuesday. He has been on the job for about a day and a half, but he already has a pretty good idea of what he wants in a partner.
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"I think somebody with a scouting background will be important to me," he told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I think someone that is relatable, someone that can not only empower the players or agents that they may come in contact with, but also can relate to the guys or girls on our coaching staff, our medical staff, our strength staff. Because all of those people matter so much for us to accomplish our ultimate goal."
Many of them were around Tuesday, attending the press conference and then also a gathering in a food court at the ballpark for a small party. At least initially, the last 48 hours came as a relief to many within the organization.
Posey will make changes over time and certainly will establish a high standard, but he also knows what he doesn't know, and he plans to lean on men and women he worked with as a player for over a decade. It certainly stood out how often he called out certain individuals by name, led by Jeremy Shelley, who has been with the Giants for three decades and knows more about the organization's baseball operations side than anybody else.
"He's going to be a huge resource for me," Posey said.
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It's possible that the assistant GM gets a shot to interview for a new title, but either way, Shelley figures to be instrumental. It's too early to know exactly how Posey will handle the job on a day-to-day basis, but he's not expected to be as involved as Farhan Zaidi, who at times had his hand in too many decisions. Zaidi was involved with every level of baseball operations, but Posey mentioned Tuesday that it's important for everyone to have an understanding that their job is a supporting role for players. He played most of his career under Bruce Bochy, who left the details to his coaching staff, but made sure there was accountability across the board.
"I always felt that Boch was pretty easy on us as players, but what I learned as time went on was that he beat up on his coaches pretty good," Posey said, smiling.
There was no ambiguity about who will be in that chair this upcoming season. Bob Melvin sat alongside Posey, and the two joked about how they used to face off as manager and catcher. Melvin is signed through one more season, and while chairman Greg Johnson did not want to go into details about a potential extension, Melvin certainly has the support of his new boss.
An outsider might have demanded a hand-picked manager, but Melvin's ideals line up in many ways with Posey's, and he could find that most of his staff returns.
"I know Bob is happy with the staff," Posey said. "As far as changes go, I think you have to look and see where people are at and where some contracts are, but I know that speaking with Bob he's very happy with the staff."
There are multiple members of the staff with expiring contracts, and those discussions will continue through October. The first order of business, though, is finding a general manager. Putila was hired to replace Scott Harris, who now is president of baseball operations for the Detroit Tigers. He has a background in player development, and perhaps that's where he lands in 2025.
The Giants plan to hold a widespread search for their No. 2 baseball executive, although they might not have to travel far for an initial interview. Per sources, A's assistant general manager Billy Owens is on the list, and he certainly seems like a good fit. Owens started his rise as an area scout and currently is a director of player personnel in addition to being one of David Forst's assistants. After facing the A's this season, Giants staffers marveled at the collection of young talent that was starting to show up across the bridge.
Posey inherited a staff that includes a lot of people he is familiar with, and not just because he was a player as recently as 2021. Vice president of baseball resources and development Yeshayah Goldfarb and senior director of player development Kyle Haines are among the key executives who were around early in Posey's career. Posey said he spoke to Haines on Monday, as well as Zack Minasian, who runs pro scouting, and Michael Holmes, who handles the amateur side and the draft.
"Yesterday was one of the crazier days for me as far as being on a phone all day," Posey said.
Tuesday wasn't any lighter, and Wednesday won't be, either. Posey will have to play catch-up in a hurry, and as soon as his media responsibilities were done, he headed downstairs for meetings with his staff. It is his staff now, although he said Tuesday that he views it all as one team, with a primary responsibility of making sure the players on the field are as prepared as possible to try and win games.
Posey was on the other side of that not long ago. Now he's ready to take it all in from a different angle.
"There's no honeymoon period in this," he said. "It's hit the ground running and try to find a general manager that has some of the attributes that we hold highly in this organization and we'll get rocking and rolling."