Giants legend says crime, drugs in San Francisco have deterred free agents

The San Francisco Giants have been desperate to add star power since they won their last World Series in 2017, but top free agents continue to turn them down. One franchise legend thinks there is an obvious external factor that has contributed to that.

Former Giants catcher Buster Posey spoke with Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic this week about San Francisco’s unsuccessful attempt to sign Shohei Ohtani. Posey was part of the Giants’ pitch to Ohtani along with several team executives.

“It was such a unique opportunity. I just feel that him coming to the Giants could have been transformative, obviously for the baseball team but it also would’ve given the city a boost that we’ve all been looking for,” Posey said.

Ohtani, of course, signed a massive 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Posey believes the current state of the city of San Francisco has been a deterrent to Ohtani and other top free agents.

“Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players’ wives is there’s a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs,” Posey said. “Whether that’s all completely fair or not, perception is reality. It’s a frustrating cycle, I think, and not just with baseball. Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things.”

While Posey says Ohtani never expressed concerns about the city of San Francisco, the three-time World Series champion was made aware that Ohtani’s camp had “some reservation with the state of the city right now.”

The Giants are still trying to sign another star Japanese player, but it does not sound like Posey is optimistic about their chances.

San Francisco has had just one winning season since 2017. The Giants may have to try to build a contender primarily through their farm system and via trade.