Two New General Manager Names Floated As Potential Options for San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants have to make a decision on their future general manager.

Oct 1, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey addresses the media during an introductory press conference at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants made an impressive move when they hired Buster Posey to be their new President of Baseball Operations. 

While Posey doesn't have experience as a President of Baseball Ops., he's been around the Giants organization for much of his professional career. He should understand what the team is looking for to improve in the future.

When he spent his playing career with San Francisco, they were consistently one of the best teams in Major League Baseball. 

Getting back to the top of the baseball world won't be easy, but the Giants might have the best man to complete that task.

San Francisco has yet to announce a new general manager, which will be a tough decision from their perspective. However, with the offseason approaching much quicker than it may seem, it's a move they should look to make in the next week or two.

Some names have been rumored over the past few days, mostly those who've been around the Giants organization in some capacity.

On Sunday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle hinted at two more, writing that Thad Levine and Billy Owens are names to monitor.

"One possible candidate who makes perfect sense is Thad Levine, who severed ties with the Twins on Friday, a GM who has skills negotiating in free agency and trades and built solid relationships with agents. Levine was runner-up last year for the Red Sox’s top job that went to Craig Breslow. Posey could potentially bring in both Levine and Oakland’s Billy Owens... The Giants’ payroll would be far north of what Levine and Owens are accustomed to, but they’ve nicely succeeded in their respective markets and could be a perfect match under Posey."

As he wrote, the most important factor in this is that San Francisco's payroll would be higher than what they're used to.

They've both put together decent teams throughout their careers, but they've had financial challenges. If the Giants are willing to spend the type of money that many expect them to, there wouldn't be many worries on that end from a general manager's perspective.

San Francisco hasn't exactly been a hotbed for free agents in recent offseasons, which is a bit concerning.

However, there are a few factors to that, and ultimately, winning solves most of them. If the Giants find a way to start winning games at an elite level again, they'll have guys who want to play for them.

If they continue to struggle, they shouldn't expect much change. The GM decision could affect that.