S.F. Giants Chair Greg Johnson discussed his team’s offseason priorities, building stronger ties to the Japanese baseball market, the club’s budget outlook and how fan support remains a bright spot after an up-and-down season, according to a Q&A with Susan Slusser of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: How do you ensure that the Giants make inroads into the market for Japanese players?

Johnson: “[GM] Zack Minasian has spent a lot of time there in his career. He met with those players when they were there. Obviously L.A. has done a great job building those ties to Japan, and the more players you have in the locker room speaking Japanese, probably the easier it’s going to be to draw more talent. We’re just going to keep pressing it, we’re not going to concede that territory to anybody. It is important to have those players come in, so I think that has to be a priority for us to make sure we’re doing everything we can to attract that talent to the Giants. But it’s difficult when L.A. has built that presence and there are 10 million people watching Dodger games in Japan.”

Q: Where do you see things going with the budget?

Johnson: “It’s been reported we’re at somewhere around $185 million … We do know we’ve got to address some of the issues to strengthen the team, and that’s our plan. I know you (media) guys don’t believe it, but we don’t have a (specific budget) number we kind of look at. We look at all the needs and how best to address them and depending on the player, the opportunity, we will raise that number. It really is dependent on whether it’s short term, long term.”

Q: The CBA is ending after this next season. How much of a concern is that and is it a consideration with the budget?

Johnson: “That’s kind of a separate issue that we’re not really thinking about in terms of free agency. I’m hopeful that we will not have a work stoppage. That’s about all I can say on that topic because it just doesn’t serve anyone to speculate on where things are going.”

Q: No one in the organization was happy with the end results, finishing 81-81, but one thing that jumped out to everyone around the team was the fan support. Even during some pretty grim stretches, the ballpark was mostly full and the atmosphere was positive. 

Johnson: “The fans have been incredible. We were up about 10 percent in attendance. Part of it is that the city is back. The city’s vibrant, the city’s going. You had a period where maybe people didn’t go to a game for a while. Now they’re back in the city and feeling like, ‘Hey, let’s go back out to the Giants.’ I also think the lineup has some personalities and if fans can identify with the players, it goes a long way, they’re much more engaged. … The [President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey] factor is a positive for the fans, having him at the help and supporting what he’s doing” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/4).