Giants hire Posey as new Prez of Baseball Ops
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The San Francisco Giants fired president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi on Monday and replaced him with Buster Posey, the three-time World Series-winning catcher and franchise icon who had taken on an increasingly large front-office role in recent years.
Posey, a seven-time All-Star and National League MVP, retired after the 2021 season and in 2022 joined the Giants’ ownership group. Widely regarded for his baseball acumen, the 37-year-old Posey lacks the front-office experience that typically accompanies those who ascend to top jobs.
The Giants, nevertheless, saw him as the right candidate to replace Zaidi, 47, who had taken over in San Francisco in 2019 and over the past three seasons oversaw mediocre results that led to his dismissal.
“We are looking for someone who can define, direct and lead this franchise’s baseball philosophy and we feel that Buster is the perfect fit,” Giants chairman Greg Johnson said in a statement. “Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident that he and (manager) Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.”
Posey’s involvement in the six-year, $151 million contract extension for Matt Chapman earlier this month signaled a shift in the Giants’ operations, though it was not clear that he would take over were Zaidi fired. San Francisco had backed Zaidi regularly, giving him a two-year contract extension last year and, over the winter, giving him the leeway to guarantee more than $400 million in free agent deals and push the team’s payroll past the luxury-tax threshold.
Despite excellent individual performances, the Giants faltered, finishing 80-82 after 81-81 and 79-83 performances in 2022 and 2023. The hiring of Melvin and the signing of Chapman, left-hander Blake Snell and outfielder JJung Hoo Lee did little to change a team that found itself buried in the best division in MLB, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks all clearly superior.
Zaidi’s tenure looked to be on the upswing in 2021, when the Giants went 107-55 and won the National League West – the only time in the last 12 seasons a team other than the Dodgers has taken the division crown. San Francisco lost to the Dodgers in the division series, Posey retired and the transition from the end of the era in which they won three World Series was official. Never did Zaidi come close to replicating it again.
“We appreciate Farhan’s commitment to the organization and his passion for making an impact in our community during his six years with the Giants,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped, and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary. While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships. I wish Farhan and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”
PASASDENA, Calif. — Nico Iamaleava threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more on Saturday as UCLA notched its first win of the season in stunning fashion, knocking off No. 7 Penn State 42-37 at the Rose Bowl.
The Nittany Lions, who lost to Oregon at home last week for their first loss of the season, have suddenly dropped two straight, and could fall out of the Associated Press Top 25 after a sluggish performance that saw the Bruins (1-4) take a 27-7 lead before holding off the visitors.
Penn State (3-2) allowed more than 400 yards to a team that hadn’t held a lead all season, and is being led by interim coach Tim Skipper after DeShaun Foster was fired Sept. 14.
“It feels great. That is a valiant team and our coaches, we stuck together. Everyone counted us out, we just needed to keep going to work,” Skipper said on the CBS game broadcast. “Every single play counted today. That is a top-notch Penn State team. We kept our minds right and just continued to execute.”
The Bruins became the first 0-4 team to defeat a top-10 team since 1985, when UTEP knocked off BYU.
“Ballers always ball out,” Skipper said of Iamaleava. “He shows up every single week. I’m glad he’s on my team, I will say that.”
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David Hale
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The stands at Kenan Stadium were nearly empty long before halftime, and the fervor that surrounded the hiring of Bill Belichick at North Carolina has, in the span of just five games, devolved into exasperation and frustration after the Tar Heels looked awful yet again in a 38-10 loss to Clemson.
UNC trailed 28-3 after the first quarter, giving up 14 points on Clemson’s first four plays. The Heels are now 0-3 against Power 4 teams, having been outscored by a combined total of 120-33.
Despite the struggles, Belichick shrugged off a need for structural changes so soon into his tenure.
“The main thing we need to do is to keep doing what we’re doing but do them better,” Belichick said. “Fundamentally we’re not doing the wrong things, we’re just not doing them well enough.”
Belichick chalked up Saturday’s defeat to self-inflicted wounds at “two or three critical times” and noted that execution and coaching are to blame.
“It’s a lack of concentration,” he said, “and part of that is coaching, too, so I’ll take my share of the responsibility.”
Saturday’s implosion comes just days after a letter from GM Mike Lombardi to donors was released publicly, in which Lombardi calls this a “rebuilding” campaign for the Tar Heels and explains in detail about a dearth of talent on this year’s team due to exits from past recruiting classes.
After the loss to Clemson, Belichick downplayed the branding of a rebuild, but when asked directly what he’s telling recruits about the status of the program, he appeared to acknowledge a long-term approach.
“We’re honest with them, honest that we’re building, and if you want to be a part of a program that’s being built, then we’re here for you,” Belichick said.
That’s not the notion UNC’s players seemed to embrace after a 2-3 start.
Quarterback Max Johnson, who got his first start Saturday in place of injured Gio Lopez, said he feels UNC has enough talent, and receiver Jordan Shipp strongly pushed back against the notion this program was in need of a rebuild.
“I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win football games,” Shipp said. “That’s why I’m here. Whatever they’re doing with the donors, that has nothing to do with me. I’m here to win football games and that’s what 100% of my focus is on.”
Belichick said he won’t make changes in personnel based on a long-term vision of the program, despite the poor results early on.
“The guys who deserve to play are going to play,” he said. “I’m not going to base it on how old they are or whatever. Guys that play the best deserve to play. We’ll see how that goes. My expectations are to come in and have a good week this week and get ready for Cal.”
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