The Giants are hiring Bobby Evans and Jeff Berry as advisors to first-year president of baseball operations Buster Posey, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). They each have ties to the franchise icon. Evans was San Francisco’s general manager for a portion of Posey’s playing career, while Berry was the catcher’s longtime agent at CAA Sports.
As one would imagine, Evans has significantly more front office experience of today’s hires. He started working for San Francisco in the 1990s. Evans worked his way up the ladder amidst the Giants’ run of three World Series in five years early in the 2010s. San Francisco promoted him to general manager in April 2015, though he still served as something of the #2 decision maker behind executive vice president Brian Sabean. The Giants reassigned Evans near the end of the ’18 season, a precursor to their hiring of Farhan Zaidi the following offseason.
Evans hasn’t found himself in a ton of headlines over the past six years, though he reportedly interviewed for the Astros’ GM job on two occasions (in 2020 and ’23) and sat down with the Angels before they hired Perry Minasian in November ’20. He was floated as a candidate for the GM job in San Francisco this offseason, a position which would’ve put him only behind Posey in the front office hierarchy. The Giants went with Zack Minasian for that job, but Posey evidently values Evans’ input enough to bring him aboard in an advisory role.
Berry worked at CAA for more than two decades, becoming one of baseball’s most high-profile agents in the process. The 54-year-old stepped away from that job at the beginning of the 2024 season. (Berry spoke with Evan Drellich of the Athletic about that decision in June.) He’ll provide a bit of a different perspective as he moves to the other side of the aisle. It’s rare but not unheard of for agents to take team positions — most notably with Berry’s former CAA colleague Brodie Van Wagenen working as Mets’ general manager between 2018-20.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Posey is bringing in guys that he knows to do the real work
Lindor's Bodyguard
What is the real work?
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Scouting, analytics, contract negotiations, analysis of free agents and trades, marketing, vendors, equipment, hiring, fiing, reassignments, emulate Anthopoulos and Elias.
GMoney28
Oh Jesus. “Let’s hire the 3 people I actually know, including the one guy who got fired 6 years ago and nobody’s wanted since.”
Great plan, dawg. I’m sure this’ll go well
spooky
It should go well, they hire a man that was instrumental in building 3 championship teams along with a man that knows the ins and outs of contract negotiations. I’m not sure where the negatives are in these hires
Pete'sView
spooky — Completely agree. These hires make a lot of sense and gird Posey well for the job ahead.
GMoney28
Let me guess – you’re over the age of 60 and hate analytics
claude raymond
Explain? What’s analytics got to do with this? And didn’t FZ get torched by posters here for overuse of analytics. 2021 success out of 6 years cost FZ his job.
atuck_sfg
Analytics helped Farhan and Kepler keep their jobs didn’t they?
amk1920
They hired Brain Sabean? Bobby Evan’s traded the best bat Giants have drafted since Posey for a few months of Andrew McCutchen
claude raymond
Trades hit and miss. Prospects for vets. Chances taken. Btw, Sabean traded Wheeler for Beltran. A miss. Nathan and Liriano for Pierzynski. A miss. He had several hits as did Evans but as long as AMK wants to use selective memory, let’s stay focused on a miss
amk1920
Bobby was the GM from 2015-2018. What great trade of his did I leave out? Evans was a train wreck at GM and the reason they hired Farhan in the first place
Jean Matrac
Evans was Sabean’s right hand man that won the Giants 3 WS titles. He was the GM those years, but he didn’t have the final word. FZ was the first Giants PBO ever. Some think that’s the same as a GM, but it comes with the power to have the final say.
Every GM/PBO makes the bad decision. The Padres trading Trea Turner for Wil Myers. The WSox trading Tatis Jr. for James Shields. Not to mention the A’s releasing Max Muncy. The Met’s releasing Justin Turner.
Every FO has it’s black eye. and it’s just bad luck, when that mistake turns out to be so significant, that uninformed fans bring it up over and over, ad nauseum.
orangenblackattack
Hire Kevin Mitchell as VP of Barehanded Badassery, please.
goob
Next up, Sabes and Boch.
SFBay314
Insider reporting from me: I saw him at a dubs game on Friday and knew this was coming. Hahah but I did really see him at the game and started thinking
Non Roster Invitee
Evans who famously said they needed outfield power because there is none in the minors sa he traded Brian Reynolds and Kyle Crick to Pittsburgh for Andrew McCutcheon.
Pete'sView
Everyone makes mistakes. When they go on for 6 years, that’s when a team cuts bait. Which is what the Giants finally have done.
Ernie Riles
Evans as lead guy was probably inferior to Farhan But as an advisor not making final decisions, he should be fine
claude raymond
NRI, please find that quote. You won’t cuz he didn’t say that. Catch had a great year and Reynolds was a solid prospect. All the posters want to trade. Trades involve established vets (eg Cutch) and solid prospects (eg Reynolds). You take your shots. Some hit. Some miss. Get ready for coming trades. When they happen, please post a pass/fail. We’ll screenshot you and follow your prediction.
Non Roster Invitee
He was on KNBR after the trade and we remember everybody liking it.
Ernie Riles
the mccutchen and longoria trades smacked of desperation even at the time of the deals. They both could still play, but SF was a last place, old, 64 win team. It was time to go younger, not add more old dudes. Evans was making a last ditch effort to save his job and/or owners were delusional and said “add names & fill the ballpark”. It set Giants back
Non Roster Invitee
And Duvall for Mike Leake.
claude raymond
pick meet choose
Jean Matrac
It amuses me to no end when fans cite trading Duvall as a big mistake. He has a career 94 wRC+ over an 11 year career. He could be useful in the right circumstance, but if anyone wants to point out significant mistakes by a GM, naming a guy who’s been 6% below league average over his entire career, is completely unconvincing to implied ineptitude.
Non Roster Invitee
I would have loved Reynolds and Duvall in the outfield instead of what happened. But as a Giants fan I want every transaction to favor my team.
Do not speak of Foster. Perry. Cepeda or Broglio.
Jean Matrac
I would have loved Reynolds in the Giants’ OF as well. Not so much Duvall.
McCutchen was an 5x AS, an MVP with 4 top 5s in MVP voting, and a career 136 OPS+, when acquired by SF. No one knew he wouldn’t produce at that level playing at Oracle. But then, maybe Reynolds wouldn’t have produced as well at Oracle either. Hindsight is always 20/20. Perhaps more worthy of criticism is the return in trade the Giants got from the NYYs
Not sure what Foster, Perry, Cepeda, or Broglio have to do with anything.
mab51357
Question. Is Will Clark also in an advisory role? If so, are these hires similar?
Reynaldo's
Cronyism at work.
claude raymond
Minasian 41. Winn 50. Berry 55. Old cronys? Negative ignorant posts posted to just complain. Try again Reynaldo.
Lindor's Bodyguard
Yup, Rey and GMoney duking it out for most downvotes.
Non Roster Invitee
He never wrote “old” . Cronyism comes at any age.
claude raymond
The idea of cronyism refers to unfairly giving friends jobs or promotions they’re not qualified for.
EBJ
That is exactly what is going on here. All these hires going to people who have never done the job before. Except for Evans, who we (except you, evidently) all know is awful. It’s obvious that Buster’s “vision” for the team doesn’t go past his nose.
claude raymond
Everyone has legit concerns BUT keep in mind, Evans is just an advisor. Posey has a lot in front of him and advisors will help keep him on track with things.
Non Roster Invitee
I agree to the amusement of trading a 30 hr plus defender for a one year joke of Leake.
claude raymond
pick meet choose
Jean Matrac
Non Roster Invitee, All your criticisms are based in hindsight. At the time that both Cutch and Leake were acquired, there was no resounding uproar of disapproval. The Giants needed to bolster the rotation when they got Leake in 2015. That year they had only 2 SPs above league average, Bum and Peavy, and Peavy’s contribution was just a 108 ERA+. Fans were glad that they didn’t trade Susac, Crick. or Beede to get Leake.
And as to the 30+ HR claim, no way Duvall provides that at Oracle. Over 11 seasons he hit 30+ HRs only 3 times, and 2 of those were in Cincinnati. He’s hit 195 HRs in his 11 seasons. That averages to under 18 per season. It’s delusional to think he’d provide 30+ HRs at Oracle.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Bobby Evans will spend time Down on the Farm
Non Roster Invitee
All transactions are based on hindsight.
Duvall was a 3 and 2 win All-star player soon after the trade. Reynolds and Duvall would have made a decent 2/3 of an outfield.
claude raymond
“based on hindsight”? Do you mean a pass/fail grade is based on hindsight OR are you saying a team makes a trade based on the future results determined by a fortune teller? Because EVERY TEAM IN EVERY SPORT….EVER…has made trades that look good or bad in hindsight. You’re in fantasy land with your continued questioning of 2 trades.
Non Roster Invitee
I just picked out two. There were many others.
Jean Matrac
Transactions? We’re talking criticisms. Monday morning quarterbacking.
Duvall went to the AS game only once, that on the basis of playing at GABP.
In 11 years he’s accumulated just 10.5 bWAR, and 6.7 points of that bWAR was from his less than 4 years with the Reds. That 10.5 bWAR averages to less than replacement level per season. And that’s counting the Reds years. Subtract the seasons at GABP, and Duvall has a pitiful 3.8 bWAR for over 7 seasons. Even the Reds moved on, trading Duvall for Lucas Sims, and a couple of rentals.
Reynolds, and a ton of other guys would have made a better 2/3s of an OF. The Duvall component was completely unnecessary to achieve that result. there are legitimate criticisms for GM moves, but trading Duvall for Leake is not one of them.
Non Roster Invitee
Duvall for Leake was a bad trade.
Jean Matrac
Nope. It was a fair trade, that targeted a need. Leake was a disappointment, but they didn’t give up much to acquire him.
claude raymond
Dude, you brought up Perry Cepeda Foster Broglio. Holy hell man did you Google that. Better study up cuz a lesson is coming. Perry for McDowell. McDowell had HUGE seasons prior to the Perry trade. I loved Perry. I was 15. How old were you or did you just read a list. So look up McDowell prior to the trade . 7 time Allstar. Led league in ks multiple seasons. He failed as a Giant but Perry’s trade value was high and McDowell was a stud. Good trade BUT, IN HINDSIGHT, was a fail for sf. Good at the time but bad in hindsight. Cepeda? He played 1b and 1b only. They had this guy named McCovey. Heard of him? Played 1b only. Couldn’t keep both. No DH. McCovey ended up with better career. How’d hindsight work for you on that one? Foster? Giants had Bobby Bonds, Ken Henderson and Mays. Henderson had a big year in 70. And Foster was an unnecessary 4th outfielder. And played very little. How’d he do breaking out in Cincy? First 4 years, 2.6 war, 23 hrs in 840 abs with a .240 avg. 4 years man. FOUR YEARS before he broke out with Cincy!!! Broglio?1958. You ain’t that old junior but nice try. BTW, all 4 have ZERO to do with Evans. So please PLEASE let’s see another Duvall Reynolds post. It’s so dang original.
Non Roster Invitee
Thanks for agreeing with me on hindsight.
Cepeda played hundreds of games in the outfield as did McCovey so you’re wrong there.
McDowell was a drunk who was washed up while Gaylord won 2 Cy Youngs
You should read McDowell’s autobiography “The Saga of Sudden Sam”.
Foster turned into a monster winning an MVP and two rings.
Don’t worry because Henderson was traded along future Cy Young (again!) winner Steve Stone.
Cepeda got his ring and an MVP with St. Louis while they got the league leader in losses. Sadecki was traded later for nobody’s
Broglio was traded to St Louis for a pile of nobody’s had his best years then shipped to the Cubs for Lou Brock!
Maddox ,Mathews. Bonds, Fuentes Evans, Knepper Even traded away future ROY Butch Metzger. You could go on with these failed trades in hindsight
Horace Stoneham and Spec Richardson were two of the worst GM’s around.
The Giants best trade was for Christy Mathewson.
Evans just another disappointing GM in a long line.
Get your facts straight old timer.
claude raymond
You are a moron. I followed them. You didn’t. I know mccovey and cepeda only played first AFTER the trade. I know Stoneham was the owner and not the GM. Keep blabbing nonsense. I was there and you weren’t. I know through my presence. You THINK you know but it’s by erroneous and misinformed hindsight…and your inability to read. I know Broglio is more famous for the Brock trade. Who doesnt? But you, NRI, believe that his infamy is for the Giants trade. SIXTY SIX YEARS AGO!!. Google away junior.
claude raymond
And Babe Ruth was traded by Boston.