SAN FRANCISCO -- In recent years, December has been a time for Buster Posey to turn into a recruiter. Perhaps that meant sitting down with Jon Lester, or traveling to Los Angeles to answer questions in a meeting with Shohei Ohtani, or sending a text to a possible addition to the bullpen.
This time around, there's no need for the Giants to use Posey as part of their contingent.
They are not in on the big fish this offseason, which means Posey himself will be more important than ever. Farhan Zaidi said he "absolutely" still views Posey as a franchise player and middle-of-the-order hitter, and if the Giants are to start a turnaround in Zaidi's first season in charge, they will need Posey, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and the rest to pick up the pace.