The San Francisco Giants fired former manager Bob Melvin on Monday September 29, 2025, and ever since, rumors have run rampant about who may become their next skipper.
Several catchers have been rumored candidates for President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey and the front office. Bold suggestions like Bruce Bochy, Tony Vitello and even Albert Pujols have already make their rounds online.
But I think a candidate that no one is thinking about could secretly be on Posey’s radar, and could actually be the perfect fit for this Giants team.
That person is former San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.
Why A Yastrzemski Hire Could Happen, and Could Benefit The Giants
The Giants have been all over the map in terms of organizational philosophy in recent years.
Bruce Bochy’s last few years in San Francisco from 2017-2019 were not good. The 2020-2023 Gabe Kapler analytics and platoon era was largely a failure (save for the improbable 2021 NL West division title). Then the Giants went to Melvin, a less successful Bochy, and stayed just as mediocre as they were with Kapler despite several free agent signings.
The hiring of Buster Posey as President of Baseball Operations largely looks like a great move, so far. But his partnership with Bob Bochy (Melvin) did not work. And, Posey has already admitted the real Bruce Bochy is not a candidate to fill his spot.
But going back in a Kapler-esque direction would also frustrate Giants fans. They need someone who knows modern baseball well, but also has a feel for the clubhouse and could manage the personalities in it.
Who better than Yastrzemski? He was the longest tenured Giant before he was traded to the Kansas City Royals at the 2025 trade deadline. He’s seen it all: Bochy, Kapler, Melvin, Posey, Zaidi. He knows the players in the clubhouse better than anyone, and many of them (see: Jung Hoo Lee) love him.
He mentioned in the aftermath of the trade to Kansas City that leaving San Francisco was not a permanent goodbye. His relationship with Posey is a given, and he was a clear player leader during his time in SF.
Plus, let’s face it, whether they loved the hire or hated it, people would come out to Oracle Park to see the Mike Yastrzemski experiment. Fans would want to get behind him, and even his critics would turn up to see him fail. Selling tickets is part of the calculus.
Why This Is Still A Long Shot
The main reason why Yastrzemski’s return to SF as manager is a long shot is that, well, he hasn’t retired as a player yet. And after the half season he had in Kansas City, he may not want to.
Yastrzemski rediscovered his power bat in KC, hitting more homers with the Royals (9) than he did during the first half of the season in San Francisco (8). This is significant because he played in only about half as many games in KC (50) compared to San Francisco (96).
He is 35 years old, and may only have 1-2 good seasons left if he wants to continue playing. But he could re-sign in SF as a player just as easily as he could join the coaching staff.
Yastrzemski also, obviously, has no coaching experience at any level. He may make a good MLB manager. But would likely be set up for more success if he got his feet wet in the minor leagues or as an assistant first.
Some Giants fans may also feel like he is too similar to Kapler. Kapler is also a young, former MLB outfielder. Yastrzemski also had his most success as a player during the Kapler era. So he may look back on that fondly.
Giants fans would also be wary of Yastrzemski’s offensive coaching and management, due to his .238 career batting average.
But he was an excellent defender, clubhouse presence, media presence and all around a smart baseball mind.
Maybe the Giants don’t want to give him the keys to the whole team. But he could make a good bench coach or defensive coach.
Giants fans, would you be excited if Mike Yastrzemski was hired as San Francisco’s next manager?
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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