He won’t be in uniform in the San Francisco Giants dugout, but beloved former manager Bruce Bochy is reportedly close to rejoining the team in an advisory role.
In an interview with the Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, Bochy confirmed that he’s been in touch with Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey and is planning on returning to the organization.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to the Bay,” said Bochy to the Athletic on Wednesday. “And of course, I’m looking forward to getting back with the San Francisco Giants, seeing familiar faces and hopefully bring value any way I can.”
Giants owner Greg Johnson appeared to let the cat out of the bag earlier in the week during a conversation with San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)
“We haven’t announced it yet, but having Bochy back in the fold is something we plan on, having him as an advisor like [former Giants manager Dusty Baker]. We’re working on that right now,” Johnson told the Chronicle.
Bochy is the most successful manager in San Francisco Giants history, winning three World Series championships in his 13 years at the helm and helping develop homegrown stars like Posey, Brandon Crawford, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner.
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Bochy took a few years off after leaving the Giants before returning to the dugout as manager of the Texas Rangers, where he won another World Series title in 2023. The Rangers and Bochy mutually decided to part ways after the 2025 season.
A former big league catcher himself, Bochy formed an especially tight bond with Posey, shooting commercials together and remaining close after Posey’s retirement. Yet when Bochy was discussed as a candidate for the Giants manager vacancy, Posey was quick to shoot the speculation down.
Instead, Bochy will be tasked with helping new Giants manager Tony Vitello navigate the waters of professional baseball. Vitello, who comes to San Francisco after a hugely successful run as University of Tennessee’s head coach, has never held a job in major or minor leagues.
But Bochy isn’t worried about Vitello’s lack of MLB experience. Bochy told the Athletic he already met Vitello for a drink on Oct. 26, a few days after Vitello was officially hired by the Giants, and came away extremely impressed by the 47-year-old.
“I really like him, I do,” said Bochy. “I enjoyed my talk with him. You hear about people, but you don’t know who they are until you talk to them. You can see a humility come out with Tony.
“… I told Buster, ‘Hey, I get it. I see what you see.’ He’s impressive. He’s a baseball rat, you know? And he’s been doing this a long time. I know people are saying, ‘Well, is this going to work?’ But he’s been coaching since 2002. It’s not like he came out of a booth or the front office, or he hasn’t been on the field. … I really do commend Buster for thinking outside the box.”
After the failed tenures of Gabe Kapler and Bob Melvin, the Giants are clearly hoping Vitello’s fresh perspective — with Baker and Bochy’s years of experience to draw upon — will free the team from its near-decade of mediocrity.
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