SF Giants planning to hire former manager Bochy in advisory role

President of baseball operations Buster Posey said in early October that the Giants would not consider Bruce Bochy as their next manager — a role that has since been filled by Tony Vitello. Still, Posey said the door was open for Bochy to return in a different role following his three seasons managing the Texas Rangers.

That possibility may soon become a reality as the Giants are working on hiring Bochy, a three-time World Series champion during his tenure managing San Francisco, in an advisory role.

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news Tuesday.

Prior to hiring Vitello, Posey consulted with Bochy and fellow former Giants manager Dusty Baker, who is currently a special advisor to baseball operations. Now, Vitello will have the opportunity to routinely consult Baker and Bochy, two of the winningest managers in franchise history, as he makes the leap from collegiate head coach to major-league manager.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dusty and for Boch,” Posey said. “They came away feeling very positive about the person. It’s like I mentioned before, there’s going to be uncertainties and risks in any hire. This one’s probably more than a lot of other places we could’ve gone, but I’m betting on the person.”

Bochy, now 70, managed the Giants from 2007-2019, winning the 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series with Posey as his catcher. Posey won the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award and the 2012 National League MVP en route to those titles. Bochy added a fourth championship with the Rangers two years ago.

The Giants and Bochy parted ways after a 77-85 season in 2019 as his contract with the team expired, and then-president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi — known more for a metrics-based approach — took over the front office the prior year. In his farewell address to fans at the season finale, Bochy quoted Lou Gehrig, saying he was “the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”

San Francisco hired Gabe Kapler as its new manager while Bochy stayed out of the majors, instead signing on to manage the national team of France, the nation of his birth.

He never managed the nation in a World Baseball Classic, though, as the 2021 edition was postponed and he joined the Rangers after the 2022 season. In his first year in Texas, Bochy managed the Rangers to a World Series title.

Bochy was 1,052-1,054 in the regular season as the Giants’ manager, but behind Posey and a starting rotation that featured Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, he went 36-17 in the postseason to earn those three World Series titles. Including his time with the San Diego Padres from 1995-2006, Bochy’s career regular-season record is 2,252-2,266, giving him the sixth-most managerial wins in MLB history.