When Buster Posey began his tenure as the Giants president of baseball operations last month, he said one of his first priorities would be to surround himself with high-character individuals whose opinions he could trust. Posey and the Giants are in the process of formalizing official advisory roles for two individuals that Posey has known and trusted the longest in pro baseball.
Bobby Evans, who logged 25 seasons in the club’s front office before he was relieved of GM duties following the 2018 season, is returning to the organization as a special assistant. The Giants are also in agreement on a formal advisory role for Posey’s former agent, Jeff Berry, who stepped away from CAA’s baseball group last year while citing dissatisfaction with an industry in which clubs have increasingly moved toward an efficiency model in management and decision making.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the hirings, although both additions were anticipated. Posey had signaled his interest from the outset about bringing Evans back into the fold. Berry’s involvement with the organization was bound to be limited because of geography — he is based in Florida and raising a family — but he has been a major influence on Posey throughout his career and they hold many common views about the direction of the sport.
Evans and assistant GM Jeremy Shelley contributed to the Giants’ three World Series titles from 2010-14 and served as the primary administrators for more than two decades under former GM Brian Sabean, who is also a candidate to return to the Giants. Sabean has one more year on his contract with the New York Yankees as a special assistant to GM Brian Cashman, but it’s believed that the Yankees would allow him to return to San Francisco if the decorated 68-year-old executive requests permission.
Evans had been promoted to the GM role at the start of the 2015 season under Sabean but failed in his efforts to keep the top spinning as several high-profile signings (Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija) and trades (most notably, trading future All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds to Pittsburgh for a four-month rental of Andrew McCutchen) resulted in one playoff appearance followed by two losing seasons. He was replaced by Farhan Zaidi after the 2018 season. Evans has spent the past five years serving on several charitable boards and working with the Positive Coaching Alliance while seeking another opportunity in baseball. He interviewed with the Houston Astros in 2020 and ’23 and also was a candidate for the GM position with the Los Angeles Angels.
One hallmark of Evans’ tenure in San Francisco is that he never considered the door fully closed to former players. The Giants had several success stories after reacquiring players such as Conor Gillaspie, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval. There was no better example, though, than Travis Ishikawa’s second act with the team, which culminated with a pennant-clinching home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014.
The Giants shielded two right-handed pitchers from the Rule 5 draft, adding Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale to the 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s protection deadline. And if they find themselves in need of rebounding help, they should be better equipped, too.
Seymour, 25, is a 6-foot-6 power pitcher and former sixth-round pick of the New York Mets whom the Giants obtained in the Darin Ruf trade in 2023. He posted a 4.82 ERA in 29 games (28 starts) for Triple-A Sacramento last season while striking out 132 in 134 1/3 innings.
Ragsdale, 26, is a 6-8 former fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies whom the Giants obtained for reliever Sam Coonrod in 2021. Injuries limited Ragsdale from 2022-23 but he made a healthy and successful return this past season, combined for a 4.18 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) between Sacramento and Double-A Richmond. He struck out 147 in 120 2/3 innings.
The Giants also designated right-hander Kai-Wei Teng for assignment.
Because the Giants have a full 40-man roster, they would be ineligible to make any Rule 5 draft selections at the winter meetings next month. But their roster composition could change prior to the draft in the event of trades and other potential moves.
Notably but not surprisingly, the Giants’ top draft picks in 2019-20, outfielder Hunter Bishop and right-hander Will Bednar, were not protected from the Rule 5 draft. Bishop also was left unprotected last year.
(Photo of Evans: John Hefti / USA Today)
