The Giants Pursuit of Shohei Ohtani Came Up Short, but Buster Posey Still Believes in the Team
Former star catcher and current part-owner of the San Francisco Giants, Buster Posey, spoke exclusively to The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly about the team’s pursuit of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Giants came up short in their attempt to sign Ohtani, who decided to stay in Southern California and sign a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Posey, along with new Giants manager Bob Melvin, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, and owner Greg Johnson, had met with Ohtani at Oracle Park on Dec. 2 before his decision. Posey shared with Baggarly the message he had for Ohtani and expressed his disappointment in not being able to secure the player for the Giants.
Despite the failed pursuit, Posey believes that the team gave it their all and does not think they could have done anything more with their Ohtani pitch. He also touched on the city of San Francisco’s reputation, suggesting that the city’s perceived issues with crime and drugs might have played a role in Ohtani’s decision.
However, Posey remains hopeful for the future, expressing his love for the Bay Area and his belief that the Giants will eventually land the superstar they are searching for in free agency. He also believes that brighter days are ahead for the city.
This was the second time Posey has been in the room as the Giants made their free-agency pitch to Ohtani, as they also pursued him after the 2017 MLB season. Despite the disappointment, Posey knows the importance of homegrown talent and remains optimistic about the team’s future.
He used a baseball analogy to sum up the team’s pursuit, saying, “I always wanted to feel when you’re done, win or lose, that you put it out there. I really feel like we did.” Ultimately, Posey and the Giants will keep pushing and remain determined to achieve their goals.
The podcast also mentioned that the latest Giants Talk Podcast is available for download.