Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ former president of baseball operations, spoke publicly for the first time since parting ways with San Francisco, joining former Giants catchers A.J. Pierzynski and Erik Kratz on Foul Territory.
Zaidi did not confirm reports that he would be joining the Dodgers’ front office, but discussed how Matt Chapman’s extension unfolded and the franchise’s failed pursuits of superstar free agents, among other subjects.
Here are a few highlights from the interview:
The Chapman extension
After Chapman signed a six-year, $151 million contract extension in early September, there were contrasting reports of Zaidi’s level of involvement in negotiations.
According to Zaidi, the negotiations happened over two weeks. Zaidi describes being “at the 5-yard line” of negotiations and offering Chapman a six-year, $150 million deal. From there, Chapman had a meeting with Buster Posey, the Giants’ new president of baseball operations, and hashed out some of the smaller details — adding another million dollars, including a no-trade clause and removing small deferrals.
Zaidi said that Posey was a “huge asset,” noting how players sometimes just want to talk with other players.
“I was just thrilled to get the deal done,” Zaidi said. “These things always happen in collaboration and teamwork, whether it’s the owner, whether it’s somebody in a position like Buster or whether it’s the head of baseball operations. Even Bob Melvin was involved in it because of his relationship with Matt. I never viewed myself as being out of the loop or that I’d ceded negotiations.”
Falling short of signing Harper, Judge and Ohtani
Zaidi said there wasn’t a common thread in the Giants’ failed pursuits of Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. From Zaidi’s perspective, Harper had reservations about playing in a pitcher-friendly ballpark; Judge already had a legacy with the Yankees; and Ohtani joined a powerhouse Dodgers team after already building a house in Southern California.
“We took some swings and there were swings and misses. I take responsibility for that. But I really push back hard on this narrative that nobody wants to play in San Francisco, nobody wants to play for the Giants. It’s a great city. It’s a great organization,” Zaidi said. “I have been so happy in my time in San Francisco, and I wish the organization the best. I know that they’re going to continue to attract players, and Willy Adames a couple weeks ago is just the last example of that.”
The “Arson Judge” tweet
When Jon Heyman sent out a tweet during the 2022 Winter Meetings that “Arson” Judge was heading to San Francisco, hundreds of thousands of baseball fans thought No. 99 would be wearing orange and black.
Not Zaidi.
“I would think if we had him, I would be the first to know,” Zaidi said. “So, I knew it was false and I was not happy about it at all.”
Zaidi said that the Giants’ strategy was to “stay around the backboard” with Judge. Zaidi believed there was a window to get the deal done when the Yankees reached an impasse with Judge, but “Arson” Judge tweet, though, changed the trajectory of the negotiations.
“Then, Jon sent that tweet out,” Zaidi said. “And honestly, Yankee people will tell you it really spooked them into getting the deal done, adding the ninth year. So, I blame Jon. I’ve had this conversation with Jon; I’ve joked with him.”
Zaidi also pushed back on the belief that the Giants were used strictly for leverage, saying he believed the Giants had a legitimate window to sign Judge.
A change in philosophy?
Zaidi recalled telling San Francisco’s ownership group that he wanted the Giants to be like the San Antonio Spurs and New England Patriots, a pair of teams that emphasized the team over the individual. The Giants’ combination of foundational players and a platoon-heavy system worked in 2021 to the tune of a franchise-record 107 wins, but Zaidi admitted “when it doesn’t work, it’s kind of a house of cards.”
“It’s a really fragile thing because every individual, every player’s a competitor,” Zaidi said. “They want that at-bat. They want the start. When the results aren’t there, everybody feels like they’re the answer. … At the end of the day, there’s a talent thing. It’s always about talent in the end. In 2021, that was Buster’s last year. We got great years from Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, then they got banged up the next year. So, there was some of that, but the system we had in place can be a little fragile.”
When asked if the Giants would’ve changed their philosophy if they were able to sign a superstar, Zaidi responded, “Absolutely.”
“I think having a core of everyday players — four, five, six everyday players — and then platooning with the complimentary parts of your roster, that’s very workable,” Zaidi said. “That was one of the shortfalls that we had is not being able to sign one of those star players that you mentioned.”
On the subject of platoons, Zaidi also denied allegations that he ever made a specific lineup for former manager Gabe Kapler.
“I never made the lineup,” Zaidi said. “I know Will Clark thinks I made the lineup. I love Will, but that just wasn’t the case.”
