Buster Posey added two former teammates to the Giants baseball operations staff on Tuesday, naming backup catcher Curt Casali special assistant to the president and bullpen catcher Ramón López coordinator of catching development. Both spent multiple seasons working with Posey in San Francisco before his retirement in 2021.
Casali, 35, caught 192 games across four seasons with the Giants through 2024, posting a .221/.301/.369 line while handling a pitching staff that ranked seventh in ERA last season. López spent seven years as a bullpen catcher and catching instructor in the organization. The moves mark Posey's first personnel decisions since taking over as president of baseball operations in late September, replacing Farhan Zaidi after the team finished 80-82 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
The hires signal Posey's intent to rebuild organizational pitching infrastructure around trusted evaluators who understand his emphasis on pitch shaping and catcher-driven game planning. Casali's role reporting directly to the president suggests expanded influence over roster construction—particularly backup catching and pitching acquisition—rather than traditional coaching duties. López's title consolidates catching development under one coordinator, streamlining communication between the major league staff and minor league affiliates. Worth noting: the Giants ranked 24th in MLB in catcher framing runs above average last season per Baseball Prospectus, costing the pitching staff roughly 12 runs. Posey's choice to elevate two voices from his own playing tenure reflects confidence in their ability to translate his receiving philosophy into teachable mechanics.
The timing matters for the Giants' offseason. San Francisco enters free agency with $43 million committed to payroll for 2025 and flexibility to chase premium starting pitching—Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried all available. Casali's familiarity with National League West pitching staffs and López's relationships with the organization's catching prospects position them to influence both major league signings and internal development. The team's top catching prospect, Marco Luciano's conversion candidate Diego Velasquez, is expected to reach Triple-A Sacramento by midseason. López will oversee his final adjustments.
Posey must still hire a general manager—Zaidi's replacement at the operational level—and resolve manager Bob Melvin's status after one 80-win season. Casali and López lack traditional front office pedigree, which could complicate external GM candidates wary of a president surrounding himself with former teammates. But the structure mirrors Theo Epstein's early Chicago Cubs model, where the president of baseball operations installed trusted voices in newly created coordinator roles to bypass entrenched scouting and development processes. The Giants' farm system ranked 22nd by Baseball America last season; Posey is building the infrastructure to fix it from the catching position outward.
The next move to watch: whether Posey promotes from within for the GM role or recruits an experienced executive willing to operate under a first-time president. Interviews are expected to begin before Thanksgiving. Casali and López officially start December 1, giving them three weeks to prepare for the Winter Meetings in Dallas.