Giants to promote Zack Minasian to GM (report)

Buster Posey’s new right hand man is expected to come from within the Giants’ front office ranks.

Zack Minasian, who has served as San Francisco’s pro scouting director since 2019, will be promoted to be Posey’s general manager, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

The club has not confirmed the news, which was first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on Thursday.

Minasian’s elevation marks the first major upper-level hiring made by Posey, who took over as the Giants’ new president of baseball operations on Sept. 30. Posey expressed a desire to bring in a GM with a scouting background to work under him, though he ultimately didn’t have to look outside the organization to find an ideal candidate for the job.

Minasian, a holdover from the Farhan Zaidi regime, joined the Giants in 2019 after spending the previous 14 seasons with the Brewers' organization, where he rose to become a pro scouting director by age 27. In Milwaukee, Minasian worked for two successful GMs, Doug Melvin and David Stearns, and played a part in acquiring players such as CC Sabathia, Zack Greinke, Josh Hader and Will Smith.

Minasian grew up around the game as he got his start working for his dad, Zack Sr., a longtime clubhouse manager for the Rangers. He is the younger brother of current Angels GM Perry Minasian and the godson of Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. Another Minasian brother, Calvin, is also the director of equipment and clubhouse services for the Braves.

Minasian will replace Pete Putila, who served as Zaidi’s GM for the last two seasons. Putila is expected to remain with the organization but will take on a different role now that Posey is calling the shots.