Farhan Zaidi has made many moves that have received scrutiny from the Giants fan base.
But San Francisco’s president of baseball operations has the backing of the top of the organization.
Speaking with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on Wednesday’s edition of the “TK Show,” Giants owner Greg Johnson defended Zaidi’s decision-making, acknowledging his roster adjustments despite having disappointing assets in the squad. minor leagues.
“I mean, again, it really goes back to the farm system and what he inherited, there just wasn’t much going on,” Johnson told Kawakami. “And we had to make a lot of smaller moves (and) continue to move people around, and that’s not good for fan engagement.
“But if you look at the type of players, the LaMonte Wades, the Thairo Estradas, the guys that (Farhan) went out and even got criticized for recruiting Patrick Bailey at the time, people forget about that,” he said. Why do we select a receiver? You know, we already have a number one pick. I think he is going to make decisions that may not be popular at times, but that will be right for the organization.”
As a key decision-maker for an organization as prominent as the Giants, Zaidi will always be criticized. While he impressed fans with the acquisition of Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo-Lee and Jorge Soler in the offseason, Zaidi faced backlash for missing out on now-Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in MLB free agency. business.
But, as Johnson noted, Zaidi has made do with what he inherited. Drafting Bailey in 2020 when he already had a catcher in Joey Bart, the second pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, for example, was a surprising move at the time, but it makes more sense today.
“Going out and hiring Patrick Bailey was an example of him finding the best talent he saw and bringing it to the organization, and I think we’ve been well served,” Johnson concluded. “I would say, again, looking at the minor league depth that we have and how these players are coming up and looking at the pitching depth that we have, I think we’re among the best right now in baseball. So I think a lot of that should be attributed to Farhan.
“And the fact that we stayed competitive with a team that didn’t have that boost from the farm system is also a testament to Farhan. It was a difficult position in which you had to move players in and out, where the pitching staff was; It’s easy to criticize that. But we stayed competitive in a pretty tough place in terms of getting players promoted.”
It’s been a turbulent ride for Zaidi and the Giants during their six-year partnership. San Francisco has not won an MLB playoff series during his reign, only reaching the postseason once, in 2021, when they lost to the Dodgers in the NLDS.
However, Johnson and the rest of the Giants’ brass are confident in Zaidi’s ability to help San Francisco compete for the World Series, as the 47-year-old executive’s contract was extended through 2026 in October.
As the 2024 MLB season enters June, Zaidi’s Giants are on a roll. Winners of seven of their last 10 games, San Francisco (29-28) is currently the second wild card team in the National League.
It’s unclear if the Giants will reach their lofty goals in the coming years, but it’s clear that Zaidi has the full support of his owner.
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