In just one short month, Scottsdale Stadium and its surrounding facilities will once again be teeming with life as Giants’ pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training for the first season of the Buster Posey POBO era. There will be plenty of differences, both on the roster and in the way front office business is being conducted.
The off-season has overall been solid for Posey in his first “at bat” as a big league GM. He cashed in on All-Star shortstop Willy Adames, seemingly filling a hole that has lacked production dating back to the last couple forgettable Crawford years. The Giants missed on Corbin Burnes, a disappointing development especially considering he landed with division foe Arizona (Hey, at least it wasn’t the Dodgers right?) The team also recently learned it would not be the destination of prized Japanese free agent Roki Sasaki.
But the addition of Adames, and that of future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander on the mound, are reasonable cause for optimism. Verlander was introduced on Monday, and discussed a wide variety of topics regarding his free agency and what led him to the Giants. Above all else, it was the culture of the organization that sold him on San Francisco.
With Verlander’s arrival comes immediate debate. The right-hander has worn No. 35 throughout his decorated career, a number that has most famously been worn as a Giant by Brandon Crawford. Verlander said on Monday that he wants to test the waters and see how it would be received for him to wear 35. His gracious approach to this jovial controversy has endeared him to Giants fans already, although the fan base is anything but in agreement on whether or not he should wear 35.
A KNBR poll illustrated just how split fans are. In this instance, a slight majority say that Verlander should go ahead and wear his number.
Buster Posey joined Murph & Markus on Tuesday morning to discuss the signing of Verlander and his first off-season as a whole. He too weighed in on the great 35 debate of 2025.
Missing out on Corbin Burnes was a blow to the fans and to the Giants front office. Posey was asked about that process and what ended up keeping the Giants on the outside looking in. He explained that the negotiations were positive, but declined to root himself into one stance regarding opt out clauses and anything else that may have snagged the Burnes to SF momentum. He spun it into a positive, highlighting what he thinks Verlander can bring to a young but promising Giants rotation.
2023 first round pick Bryce Eldridge is the crown jewel of an average at best Giants farm system. As a 19-year-old in 2024, he put up gaudy minor league numbers that would normally reflect a player much his senior in age and experience. Because of this performance and his tremendous upside at the major league level, Posey and the Giants weren’t going to hear his name in trade offers.
Check out the full interview with Buster Posey here!