Stuck in the friend zone

If you know Buster Posey, you may have a job offer waiting for you.

👋 Hi there. We're six weeks into the Buster Posey era, here's what we know:

Friends in low high places: Posey is not only building out his front office with people he knows, but concerningly, he's tapping people who have no experience in their new jobs. Randy Winn is jumping from pro scout to vice president of player development. Zack Minasian leveled up from scouting director to general manager.

I thought Posey would surround himself with the most seasoned executives he could hire. Instead, he’s just putting a new spin on the term #ForeverGiant. You would think the team's recent track record would lead them to look outward for new ideas, not further inward. I don't like where this is heading.

Payroll problems: The Giants' payroll is expected to decrease, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. "The Giants’ overall operating losses last season were believed to be significant enough to cause discomfort among members of the ownership group," Baggarly writes.

Before his firing, Farhan Zaidi pointed out he never had permission to tear down the roster and launch a rebuild. I'm wondering if ownership is warming up to a version of that idea, knowing fans will cut Posey a lot more slack than they ever would Zaidi.

Any way you slice it, that should extinguish any hope about a Juan Soto pursuit. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark reported the Giants don't even have a meeting set up with him.

November nuggets

• LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski are on the trade block, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. I'll believe it when I see it.

• In an interview with KNBR, Posey said the team’s focus is on finding a shortstop. Separately, he said Bob Melvin will be empowered to write his own lineups. Congrats, I guess?

• Speaking of KNBR, there's a lot of cost-cutting in the air. Tom Tolbert, among others, are out. The primary studio is moving from downtown San Francisco to Levi's Stadium. SFGate's Alex Simon points out the Giants' contract with their longtime flagship station is up after this season. We'll see if there's enough money in the couch cushions to keep the partnership alive.