SF Giants: Buster Posey noncommittal on playing in 2020
By Justin Fried
SF Giants’ catcher Buster Posey’s recent comments indicate that he isn’t committed to playing in 2020.
SF Giants players have officially arrived in training camp at long last, and among them was catcher Buster Posey. However, while he may be in attendance right now, the longtime Giants backstop has remained noncommittal about his status for 2020.
Numerous players around the MLB have already decided to sit out for the upcoming season amidst concerns regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the more notable players include the likes of David Price, Ryan Zimmerman, Mike Leake, and most recently Felix Hernandez.
In fact, recently-released Giants pitcher Tyson Ross is also among those who are sitting out. And it’s very likely that the reason for his release was due to his decision to opt-out.
As for Posey, the Giants’ catcher didn’t necessarily insist that he’s going to sit out for the 2020 season, but he left the door open stating essentially that anything could happen.
"“I’ve thought about it and talked about it with my wife, quite a bit. I think there’s still some reservation on my end. I think I want to see how things progress here over the next couple of weeks.”"
Essentially, it seems as though Posey is prepared to take it one step at a time. He’s keeping his options open and he’s waiting to see how things develop over the coming weeks.
It’s hard to argue with that approach.
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Posey missed the first day of training camp on Friday for personal reasons but was back in action on Saturday catching live batting-practice and taking his swings at the plate.
What will the SF Giants do if Buster Posey opts out?
The Giants are currently set to open their season on July 23rd and for the moment, Posey will be in the starting lineup. But what if he decides to opt-out? Who will the Giants be forced to play at catcher?
The backup catcher job has been a battle between veterans Rob Brantly and Tyler Heineman, but neither has any experience as a true starting option in the majors. Still, it’s very possible those would be your two Opening Day catchers.
Of course, Joey Bart is still waiting in the wings, but the Giants aren’t going to rush him if they don’t feel he’s ready. Perhaps Posey’s absence, however, will cause them to reconsider how quickly Bart is given the starting catcher job.
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Much like Buster Posey’s status, the Giants’ catcher position is still very much undetermined. And it remains to be seen just how this situation will develop over the coming weeks.