The San Francisco Giants' 2026 season was defined by immediate struggle from which they never experienced a reprieve, and it led to a 65-97 finish — their worst record in nearly a decade. 

President of baseball operations Buster Posey took a chance when he hired Tony Vitello, who had never held an MLB position, to be the skipper of a storied franchise. 

Posey thought that Vitello’s illustrious results as Tennessee's college baseball coach and his approach to doing things would be right for the Giants, who, heading into 2026, had missed the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. In Vitello's first season, that was not the case.

The speculation sharks circled the prospect of Vitello's job security in the early months of the season with every loss that San Francisco racked up. Despite that, he made it through the year. 

It is unclear how long Vitello will last, especially if the Giants get off to a poor start in 2027, but the bigger question may be surrounding Posey's future.

In October 2024, just three years after concluding an illustrious 12-year career with the Giants, Posey was given a three-year contract to become their president of baseball operations.

Posey made a name for himself as one of the best players to ever grace the organization, but he was unproven as an executive. In his first season with San Francisco in his new post, the team only improved from an 80-82 record in 2024 to an 81-81 record in 2025. 

It was enough for a jump from fourth to third place in the National League West Division, but the Giants still missed the playoffs. After that, Posey chose to move on from manager Bob Melvin and hire Vitello.

Now, after a brutal second season for San Francisco under Posey's leadership, his name has been placed on ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney's recent list regarding teams that will potentially make a managerial and/or front office change.

As Olney noted, Posey will be eligible for a Hall of Fame induction next season. It is painfully ironic that Posey could make his way to Cooperstown for the greatness he achieved with the Giants as a player if he continues to fail them as an executive.

Olney also underlines that support from ownership is not the only factor at play here, and that Posey’s own patience may wear too thin to remain at the helm. 

Posey and Vitello are in similar situations. Both have demonstrated their greatness in their former respective positions, but they converge at a place of relative inexperience within the organization. 

With Posey’s contract only running through the 2027 season, he is running out of time to prove he is up to the task.