SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey has begun his search for a new manager after firing Bob Melvin on Monday, but Posey’s conversations in the coming weeks and months will extend beyond managerial candidates.

Justin Verlander, Wilmer Flores and Dominic Smith are set to become free agents once the World Series concludes in roughly a month. It’s possible that all three have played their final games with San Francisco, but could a reunion with any of them be in the cards?

“It’s discussions that we’ll have throughout the offseason,” Posey, the team’s president of baseball operations said recently. “I’m a big fan of all three of those guys.”

Of those three, the reunion that has the most plausibility is Verlander, who will turn 43 in February.

For all the ups and downs, Verlander finished his first season in San Francisco with a 4-11 record, a 3.85 ERA and 137 strikeouts over 152 innings. Despite an inconsistent first half (4.70 ERA), Verlander pitched his best when the Giants needed it most. Over his last 13 starts, Verlander posted a 2.60 ERA and 3.36 FIP with 70 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings.

The future Hall of Famer’s second-half resurgence was due in large part to his willingness to adapt. Along with constantly tinkering with his mechanics, Verlander significantly modified his pitch mix and threw more breaking balls (1,194) than fastballs (1,192) for the first time in his career.

“With the amount of information that’s available to our players today, it’s so much that it can be tough for them to know exactly how to prepare. This is someone who has it down to a T,” said general manager Zack Minasian. “The example that he sets not only for younger players, but even players like Logan Webb who have been there and done that as well. I think it was extremely positive. Nothing but good things to say about J.V.”

While Verlander enjoyed a second-half resurgence, it is fair to wonder how effective he will be in his 21st major league season as he continues his pursuit of 300 career wins.

The future Hall of Famer still has above-average stuff according to FanGraphs’ Stuff+ model, but Verlander had career-worsts in expected batting average (.260) and expected ERA (4.21). Verlander’s strikeout rate, chase rate and whiff rate all ranked below average as well.

Given the team’s need for impact starting pitching to complement Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp, the Giants are more likely to prioritize a pursuit of other free agents such as Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen and Ranger Suárez, among others. If they re-sign Verlander, that deal likely wouldn’t come together until all the top pitchers on the market are off the board.

“I’ll consider anything,” Verlander said when asked of a reunion after his final start of the season. “I really enjoyed the guys here. Obviously, it was a tough season personally. But as far as an organization and the guys I got to play with here, it was so class. Off the field and in locker room, one of the more fun seasons I’ve ever had.”

While re-signing Verlander makes some sense, a reunion with either Flores or Smith appears far more unlikely.

The Giants are already covered at first base and designated hitter between three-time All-Star Rafael Devers and top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who underwent left wrist surgery on Thursday to remove a bone spur. The team hasn’t determined who will spend more time at each position, but with Devers and Eldridge locked into starting roles, Flores and Smith would be relegated to the bench.

For Smith, a reserve role at this juncture in his career doesn’t make a ton of sense. The 30-year-old performed well upon joining the Giants during Posey’s roster shakeup in June, hitting .284 with five home runs and a .750 OPS over 63 games while playing solid defense at first base.

Minasian said on Wednesday he wouldn’t “close the door” on Smith, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Smith tries to parlay his success in San Francisco into a starting role elsewhere after posting his highest OPS+ (112) since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (168).

Smith, in theory, provides defensive versatility since he’s played the outfield, but he’s been worth -19 outs above average in his career as an outfielder.

Flores, 34, is at a point in his career where a bench role could make sense. He’s coming off a season when he matched his career high in RBIs (71) and had a career-high .941 OP with runners in scoring position but saw his role diminish following the acquisition of Devers in June.

For all the RBIs, Flores’ batted-ball metrics were some of the worst in baseball, a product of the fourth-lowest average bat speed in baseball among qualified batters. Flores wouldn’t be able to provide any defensive versatility either and would be relegated strictly to first base.

If the Giants want more pop off the bench, an internal option like Jerar Encarnacion might make more sense to fill out the roster given his power and ability to play first base and corner outfield. The free-agent market could be another avenue for a bench bat as well.

“The way I see those three first is that I have a tremendous amount of respect for all of them because they go about things the right way,” Posey said. “Flo is a guy I played with — a pro’s pro. Verlander, same thing. It’s so impressive to watch a guy who’s done it for as long (as he has). He has nothing left to prove but you watch him and you’re like, ‘This guy looks like he’s making his first start every time he’s preparing to play. Dom, another pro. I felt like he really stabilized us when he came up.”