While we wait for the next development, here are some points to consider:<\/p>\n
Vitello made a strong impression<\/p>\n
That\u2019s sort of what he does. Whether he\u2019s in someone\u2019s dining room on a recruiting visit or firing up his dugout during games or serving as a draft analyst for MLB Network, Vitello makes an impact in every space he enters. There\u2019s energy and charisma behind almost every interaction. Those qualities were said to stand out to Posey early in the interview process, and although Vitello is not a traditional candidate, there were no significant red flags raised when the Giants engaged in vetting conversations with others familiar with his background and personality.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one thing Posey admires as much as solid fundamental play, it\u2019s a roster of resilient and confident players who attack the game with a take-no-prisoners attitude. Maybe the rah-rah college stuff wouldn\u2019t play to previous generations of big-league veterans, but it\u2019s hard not to think about the emotional impact that one of Vitello\u2019s all-time favorite Vols players, rookie outfielder Drew Gilbert<\/a>, made on the Giants after he debuted in August. If a rookie like Gilbert felt free to express himself on his first day in a major-league dugout, then maybe the big-league dugout is ready for a manager with that same pep-rally intensity.<\/p>\n Nick Hundley took himself out of consideration<\/p>\n There\u2019s every indication that the job was Hundley\u2019s if he wanted it<\/a>. The former Willie Mac Award winner is one of Posey\u2019s best friends in the game and models Posey\u2019s stated desire to hire a servant leader whose presence commands respect in every room he enters. But Hundley lives in the San Diego area, he has two young daughters and is said to treasure being an active participant in their lives \u2014 something his current role allows while working as a special assistant for Texas Rangers general manager and longtime friend Chris Young.<\/p>\n Becoming a major-league manager would require signing himself over to the demands of a six-week spring training and a 162-game schedule. Hundley wasn\u2019t sure he was ready to make that commitment right now, and it\u2019s likely that he wouldn\u2019t have seriously considered it for anyone other than Posey. While Hundley has been contacted by other clubs, including the San Diego Padres, it\u2019s expected that he will remain in his current role with the Rangers.<\/p>\n Yeah, money is a potential snag \u2014 but the Giants aren\u2019t poor<\/p>\n From a leverage standpoint, it doesn\u2019t help the Giants to have the news out there that they\u2019ve offered Vitello the job. If they fail to land him, then they\u2019d have to move along in their search \u2014 and nobody wants to be known as a third-choice candidate.<\/p>\n But the Giants also knew what they were getting into when they walked down this path. Their beginning financial offer at a minimum had to match Vitello\u2019s UT salary, which is already more than what most major-league managers earn. Shortly after the Vols won the first College World Series title in school history<\/a> last year, Vitello signed an extension through 2029 that will pay him $3 million per season. He\u2019s the second-highest-paid coach in Division I and his contract also includes a $3 million buyout, which the Giants would be responsible for paying. That\u2019s on top of the $4 million or so that they will pay Bob Melvin to not manage next year\u2019s club.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s all the other stuff, including California taxes (Tennessee has no state income tax) and the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Vitello also would be leaving one of the most secure baseball jobs in the country for the volatility that is inherent for any major-league manager. Maybe Vitello couldn\u2019t command the record-setting contract that the Chicago Cubs gave to Craig Counsell (five years, $40 million), but he\u2019s not going to be a cheap hire. And that\u2019s before we find out how much more the Vols are willing to offer him to stay.<\/p>\n It\u2019d be unprecedented to make someone with entry-level pro experience one of the highest-paid managers in the game. It\u2019s also impossible to believe that Posey would let a few million derail him from hiring the person he believes is the best choice to manage. Posey didn\u2019t blink at giving a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million contract to shortstop Willy Adames barely two months after taking over as club president. He didn\u2019t blink at taking on more than $250 million while trading for Rafael Devers this past June.<\/p>\n Unless Vitello truly doesn\u2019t want the job and is simply looking to extract a sweeter deal from the Vols, it\u2019s hard to imagine money getting in the way.<\/p>\n The ripple effects would be fascinating \n Max Scherzer has a longstanding relationship with Tony Vitello. (Alika Jenner \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Max Scherzer is one of Vitello\u2019s best friends, going back to their time together when Vitello, then an assistant coach, recruited him to play for the University of Missouri. Assuming that Scherzer wants to continue his career next season \u2014 and judging from his dominant Game 4 performance in the American League Championship Series<\/a>, the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer still has more in the tank \u2014 then pitching in San Francisco and serving as another coach on the field for Vitello would be the most natural fit ever. Who better than Scherzer to ensure that Vitello gets full buy-in from even the most skeptical veteran player in the room?<\/p>\n Scherzer would be a fit in another respect. The Giants will be looking for multiple starting pitchers this offseason. If they can create enough depth, then perhaps Scherzer could be looked upon as a depth starter who gives them 75-100 innings and has enough fuel to make an impact in October. That\u2019s how postseason teams are operating these days, whether it\u2019s the Los Angeles Dodgers (Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, et al) or the Toronto Blue Jays (Shane Bieber, Scherzer).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2241516573-scaled.jpg\")
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