Giants beg Buster Posey not to retire at his press conference

At Buster Posey’s retirement press conference, San Francisco Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi begged him not to leave.

Posey is a borderline Hall of Famer, with just under 1,500 hits, but numerous accolades and honors in his 12-year MLB career. The 34-year-old is a seven-time All-Star (including last year), four-time Silver Slugger, three-time World Series champion and MVP. The man has done it all.

Per ESPN, “Posey is a lifetime .302 hitter, making him one of six catchers in major league history to start 1,000 games at catcher and have a lifetime batting average of .300 or greater.” The numbers are truly astonishing.

Yet, the Giants catcher would rather step away from baseball than continue at this juncture, with the goal of spending time with his family year-round.

San Francisco Giants don’t want Buster Posey to retire

Posey still had one year remaining on his contract, and Zaidi and Co. were more than willing to pay it.

“I don’t know if this is the right time for it, but is this a definite, for sure thing?” Zaidi asked.

He was, of course, joking. Posey is riding off into the sunset, and potentially even Cooperstown, eventually.

“I’m definitely just going to take some time with my wife, talk with her and be able to be a full-time dad of four kids for the first time in a while,” Posey said. “I’m just going to take it slow and see how things progress.”

Posey took the time to thank his wife, and admit that it hasn’t always been easy with a year-round baseball schedule. Now with the financial flexibility to let go, he plans on spending far more time with his family.

The Giants, meanwhile, will search from within for a Posey replacement. Expect Joey Bart to get the first crack at it.