[ad_1]
The Giants failed in their bid to sign Shohei Ohtani, but Buster Posey believes the team’s top brass did everything they could in their pursuit of the MLB superstar.
The former San Francisco star catcher, who is now part of the team’s roster, told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly in a special interview The Giants are currently in a “free-agent slump” after losing Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he has faith that the franchise can turn things around.
Posey, along with new Giants manager Bob Melvin, president of baseball Farhan Zaidi and manager Greg Johnson, met with Ohtani at Oracle Park on December 2 before the Japanese talent made his free choice. Ohtani had a chance to become something special in the city of San Francisco, Posey shared with Baggarly his message to the star, but although the Giants agreed to such a deal, it ended until Ohtani decided to stay in Southern California for an unusual 10 years. , $700 million Dodgers contract.
“I wanted him to understand my level of love for the San Francisco Giants and the city of San Francisco and for him to understand how much I appreciate the history here and want him to be a part of it.” that history going forward,” Posey said of Baggarly, “It’s a unique opportunity. I feel like him coming to the Giants can change, obviously for the baseball team but it will also found the strength of the city that we were all looking for. for.”
Posey told Baggarly he didn’t believe the Giants could do more with their Ohtani pitch, and Zaidi told reporters Tuesday that the team felt the end of the map. In Posey’s opinion, the name of the city of San Francisco may have played a role.
“It’s something that I think is amazing, it’s something that is sad that the players and even the spouses of the team keep coming up. players that there is a bit of a problem with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, and drugs,” Posey. explained Baggarly. “Whether all of that is true or not, the show is the truth. It’s a stressful cycle, I think, and not just baseball. Baseball is secondary to life and important things in life. I’ve seen it affect things.”
The three-time World Series champion went on to say that Baggarly loves the Bay Area, and that he and his family, who recently relocated after a year in Georgia, share a “deep connection ” and the region. As much as he believes the Giants will finally find the glory they’ve been looking for in free agency, Posey sees bright days ahead for the city.
“I don’t pretend to know more than I do about what the change will look like, but sometimes it can happen faster than we think,” the Posey said to Baggarly. “The COVID is a good example of what has affected a lot of things. And I think it can also happen the other way around in a good way.”
It was the second time Posey was in the room as the Giants made their free agency move on Ohtani, as San Francisco sought his services after the 2017 MLB season before signing with the Los Angeles Angels. When Posey heard that Ohtani had decided on the Dodgers this time, he told Baggarly that the news was “difficult” and left him feeling “very disappointed.”
Posey knows that homegrown talent can win championships, as the Giants proved during his tenure in 2010, 2012 and 2014. That doesn’t take away the pain of Ohtani’s decision. , even if San Francisco made every effort.
And what better way for Posey to sum up that pain than with a perfect baseball example?
“I’ve been thinking about it since the news broke,” Posey said when Baggarly asked if the Giants could do anything else. “I really don’t think so. It’s different but the same as playing the game: I just wanted to feel that when it’s over, win or lose, you put it out there. I really feel like we .
“I even gave this analogy to someone: In my entire career, I’d rather have three hits in a game than three lines in one. For people to say, ‘Well, you did do all you can. You hit the ball on the nose.’ It’s like, yeah, but eventually you want results. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result and so, you know, we’re going to keep pushing.”
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast