The San Francisco Giants announced Wednesday that recently retired Buster Posey has returned to the famed organization, albeit as an owner. The 12-year veteran has purchased an unknown minority share in the Giants’ ownership group, recently valued by Forbes at $3.5B. Moreover, Posey will also serve on the Giants’ board of directors. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times first reported that Posey was joining the ownership group and being added to the board of directors.
When discussing the addition of Posey to the ownership team, Greg Johnson, the Giants’ chairman, told Kepner that the two of them want to bridge “the trust gap that exists because of the structure in baseball,” and that Posey is “somebody there that’s respected by the players and part of our ownership group.”
Posey reiterated this idea saying, “I want to be viewed as, like, pro-baseball … I’m not pro-player, I’m not pro-owner, I just love the game of baseball, and this is another opportunity for me to learn more about the game, more about the business and really commit my time to an organization in a city that I’ve grown to love.” Posey, however, clarified that he’s not “taking on any type of front office role” and that he’s going to take a more “hey, let me know where I can help and I’ll help there” approach with his new position.
Posey was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim in the 50th round of the 2005 MLB Draft but chose not to sign and attended Florida State University. Three years later, Posey would be drafted 5th overall in the 2008 MLB draft by the Giants and never looked back, making his Giants debut in 2009 and winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2010. Over the next 10 seasons, Posey would bring home an NL MVP trophy, three World Series rings, five Silver Slugger awards, a Gold Glove, and appear in 7 All-Star games, before retiring after the 2021 season with a career slash line of .302/.372/.460 for an OPS of .831.
“I’m not pro-player”….omg can we STOP letting people who aren’t pro-player own pro sports teams for once???
Posey comes off as a scumbag with this quote. Just cowardice. You were a player – you should be pro-player.
Guys like Buster Posey are great for the game. Someone who is loyal to the game itself, to the fans, to the players, to the city they play(ed) in. What a great fusion to have him part of ownership as well.
That was my first thought after the headline. Whole career in the same place and now investing in the team, man, that’s old school.
Logical evolution, well timed amount of space between retirement and this. I’m sure it was some kind of minimum buy in just to be a part of the group and it’s an indirect way of being hired on in a more meaningful capacity than that whole “special advisor” thing most veterans get as a vague front office position.
Posey probably only took home around $60 million after taxes and representative fees, maybe $75 million after endorsements, etc. so like I said, I am guessing it was more of a buy in amount than a meaningful amount to “invest” in a multi-billion dollar franchise.
One more line for his Hall of Fame plague
Dude is a legend, man
Takin a page from the Griffey book. Classy move by a classy organization. This is a good thing.
Posey in his statement said he can help recruit free agents. I seem to remember a certain someone who’s going to be a free agent this year that was a big Giants fan and a Posey fan.
I love it. He’s giving his money right back to them lol
The Giants are making money hand over fist. Posey will make money off this in the long run.
He is using Coca Cola’s money to invest in a baseball team. An investment that is guaranteed to increase in value.
Giving his money right back to them. I love it lol
When I first saw the headline. My eyes saw Buster Olney Say what?
That dude could play. Miss him out there.
Giants have a mountain of issues. A front office that won’t sign quality players and thinks you can build a roster of platooning. A mediocre development and scouting system that continously drafts low ceiling college players with top picks. Good luck Buster.
That’s all false what you just stated. First they went after Harper, second they had to let the bad contracts fall off to have payroll flexibility to go after big names. Now…if they don’t make any big splashes this off-season, then I’ll double back and agree.
I’ll give Farhan credit for finding Gausman but he let him walk while giving Wood and Disco awful contracts. He is on the brink of making the same mistake with Rodon. Finding 1 year reclamation projects who end up great and letting them walk to try it again is not a sustainable strategy. And they missed out on Harper for not going the extra 30 million. Harper’s contract is market value and a near bargain for what he does offensively. That was a huge missed opportunity. Judge will be 31. next season. Harper was 26 at his free agency. .
And Harper would have been in the mix with all the bad contracts until this year with the Giants. I think this is the freedom the front office was looking for in going out and making a splash. Z stated that once he was hired they wanted to stay competitive while letting money free up. Now we are here. Give him this off-season to bring it in and if not, then bash the guy is all I’m saying. Who would you rather have for 100 mill, Rodon, or Gausman? I prefer Rodon with the heat
Harper won the MVP award last year. He would have been considered a bad contract?
He’s not going to actually try to resign Rodon either like he didn’t bother to offer Gausman a contract. He thinks he knows better than everyone else. There will be no big splashy signing this off-season.
Mets…I’m not sure who your directing your comment to, but no way am I saying Harper would’ve been a bad contract. There’s a reason why Harper didn’t sign with the Gmen. They were years from being contenders. Now what’s happened with the Phils is a different story.
So Chipsss…why so hell bent on something that you can’t even be sure about? You seem so confident that they won’t go after big names. They have more payroll flexibility then any big market club and I’ll tell ya, if he doesn’t sign some core players this off-season he’s in trouble with his job that’s for sure. So I’ll give the benefit of the doubt.
I wouldn’t be so sure about Rodan leaving. necessarily. Maybe as a Giants fan I’m a wishful thinker but Rodan has expressed how much he liked the SF fans supporting the team so much in a down year. Yeah, I might be dreaming, but that’s not something a pitcher in his situation (who may check out of a losing team) usually says.
Yikes. I don’t understand how anyone can still believe all that. Farhan is a con artist and illusionist. Better times aren’t coming as long as he is around
107 wins is a illusion? Damn I wish the Padres could have seasons that are illusions like that.
Hey, anyone else wish their team had 107 win seasons?
Frankly a savvy move by an ownership group that needed something like this right about now, especially going into this offseason.
Great news for Giants. Now Zaidi will have to “suck up” to Posey. Zaidi won’t be able to pull one over Posey. And Zaidi will now have to have a great off season.
Ha ha ha ha. Of course he will.
Laying the groundwork for the “it wasn’t Zaidi, it was Buster” position, if they have a good offseason ?
Next day’s function, high class luncheon
Food is served and you’re stone cold munchin’
Music comes on, people start to dance
But then you ate so much you nearly split your pants
A girl starts walkin’, guys start gawkin’
Sits down next to you and starts talkin’
Says she wanna dance ’cause she likes the groove
So come on, fatso, and just Buster move
Ah, ah, yeah
Ah, ah, ah, yeah
huh-uh, yeah, huh-uh, yeah
Silas, please don’t forget:
On the beach you’re strolling’, real high rollIn’
Everything you got is yours not stolen…
lol yup
Brought in to be a face of the ownership group
Big deal. Any hairy, potbelly, tobacco chewing person in Green Bay can say they are part of the Packers ownership group. Owning a piece of a franchise doesn’t impress me.
Just got off the phone with Mr. Posey. I told him that baseball blog commenter SliderWithCheese is not impressed by his latest investment. Mr. Posey would like you to know that he is sorry and he will try harder.
LOL
WTF is wrong with people like you? Someone in GB grows up as a lifelong Packer Backer, so he buys a couple of shares to put on his wall, and you refer to him/her as a “potbelly, tobacco chewing person”?
Man, you and UK must spend a lot of time in your cold, damp basement to have become this hateful.
Well, they are what they are. There is no disputing my accuracy.
You’re inaccurate. See this picture of the GB packers board as an example. None have facial hair or look particularly hairy or pot-bellied. Also, no obvious signs of tobacco use:
packers.com/team/executive-committee
There are thousands of ‘owners’, to describe them all as hairy, pot-bellied and tobacco users is weak.
Not one of those “owners” in Green Bay has any say in what happens on the team.
Posey is on the board of the Giants. He has a huge say in what happens.
You are inaccurate.
l support him as long as his true and primary intention is not making more money.
Of course he will make more money. Any investment in a MLB team will bring back serious earnings long term.
Upon its sale, it will.
You mean upon Posey deciding to sell his equity in the team. It doesn’t matter if the rest of the owners sell, only if he does. The value of the team is guaranteed to go up so the value of his share is also going to go up.
The team does not have to be sold for Posey to see a profit. If he decides to sell his share, it will be valued as a proportional piece of what the team is worth.
LOL
Oh, good!
Based on the stereotypical posts here in the comment section, Buster can now go from a loved supported underpaid exploited baseball player, to a despised greedy owner that is only concerned with making as much money as he can off the backs of the players he employs and holds under thumb.
Good! Samuel joins the party! We now have the holy trinity of crappy takes/comments from Samuel, A’ssFanInUK, and SliderWithCheese!
Steinbrenner2728;
Please don’t lump me in with those people.
People don’t invest in companies to lose money or not make any. They can put their money in guaranteed, insured tax free financial instruments and make money without having to involve themselves in any work, hire professionals including accounts and attorneys at excessive expense, and open themselves up to any liabilities….to start.
Now you joining the party for the immature and inexperienced.
Muted!
Oh baby
“Strike Buster” Posey.
“Union Buster” Posey.
New car, caviar, four star daydream, think I’ll buy me a minority stake in a baseball team.
Groucho;
Owners constantly sell minority stakes in their teams. It’s a way of both brining in operating capital as well as the primary owner taking in some cash from an entity that he wants to hold onto long term before finally selling.
A franchise that doesn’t get some sort of profit to the minority owner(s) periodically is endangered of not enticing other potential minority owners in the future, so the minority owner is sort of like a preferred stockholder in that he/she will share in the dividends first.
George Steinbrenner was a master at this – constantly having new minority shareholders….for which he took a commission on the sales price. Red Sox owner John Henry started in MLB as a Yankees minority owner – he learned the business some and came to the head of the line when the Red Sox were up for sale.
Hallelujah. Finally someone has the courage to enunciate the problem. Good work, Buster. Hope you make a difference.
Only time I ever saw MLB players snub a teammate during post game high fives on the field involved Posey. If it was to be an understood joke, Posey wasn’t in on it. He looked completely befuddled.
Buster is much loved in SF. This is a great move for him and the team. Congratulations to him.