The San Francisco Giants have fired president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi after six years with the team.
In his place, the club is bringing in franchise legend Buster Posey, who led the Giants at catcher for over a decade.
The big picture: Posey, a seven-time All-Star and National League MVP, retired after the 2021 season and joined the Giants ownership group in 2022.
- Posey does not have the typical front office experience seen across the league in such leadership positions.
- Along with his fame with the Giants, Fresno is familiar with Posey, having hosted him on the Grizzlies for 82 games across 2009 and 2010 when the Grizzlies were San Francisco’s AAA minor league affiliate.
Driving the news: Zaidi’s tenure was highlighted by a 107-win season in 2021, the most wins in franchise history.
- But the Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, being knocked out of the playoffs without winning a series.
- That ended up being the only playoff appearance for the Giants under Zaidi and the only time the team finished higher than 3rd place in the National League West.
- The Giants hovered around a .500 record the last three seasons, going 81-81 in 2022, 79-83 in 2023 and 80-82 this year.
What they’re saying: Giants chairman Greg Johnson said in a statement Monday that Posey is someone who can define, direct and lead the franchise’s baseball philosophy.
- “Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident that he and [manager] Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.”
- Johnson also thanked Zaidi for his commitment to the organization and passion for making an impact in the Bay Area.
- “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped, and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary,” Johnson said. “While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships. I wish Farhan and his family nothing but the best moving forward.
