The San Francisco Giants hired their last president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, straight from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office, intensifying a historic rivalry between the two National League West teams. Zaidi served as the Dodgers’ general manager from 2015-18 before joining the Giants in 2019. However, despite his efforts, Zaidi was unable to lead the Giants past their rivals. In 2021, the Giants ended the Dodgers’ streak of division titles, only to lose to them in the NL Division Series. The Giants then fired Zaidi in September after their postseason exit.
Following Zaidi’s departure, longtime Giants catcher Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations and is currently in search of a new general manager to work alongside him. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that two of the top GM candidates for the Giants’ vacancy have ties to the Dodgers’ front office. De Jon Watson, former Dodgers and Nationals director of player development, and Logan White, former Dodgers scouting director, are both reportedly in the running for the position. The Giants have also expressed interest in interviewing longtime Oakland A’s executive Billy Owens for the role.
Notably absent from the list of top candidates are Thad Levine, former Minnesota Twins GM, and Kim Ng, former Marlins GM, both of whom were recently let go. The Giants are also considering former executives from their successful run of three World Series championships in five years (2010-14). Bobby Evans, who served as a top executive during that time, may get an interview, while Brian Sabean, another key figure in the Giants’ success, could return in an advisory capacity. Sabean is currently working with the New York Yankees in a similar role.
Under Zaidi’s leadership, the Giants had two consecutive losing seasons in 2019 and 2020 before surprising the NL West with a 107-55 first-place finish in 2021. The new GM will take over from Zaidi and inherit manager Bob Melvin, who recently joined the Giants after leaving the Padres. Melvin, 62, has connections to White from their time in San Diego and Owens from their time in Oakland, where Melvin managed the A’s from 2011-21. The Giants finished the 2022 season with an 80-82 record.
The Giants’ decision to bring in executives with ties to the Dodgers reflects a trend of teams hiring personnel from successful organizations in an effort to replicate their winning strategies. As the Giants continue to rebuild their front office after Zaidi’s departure, the team is looking to find the right leadership to guide them back to postseason success. With the rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers heating up once again, the upcoming decisions regarding the new general manager could have significant implications for the future of the Giants franchise.
