Farhan Zaidi dispels notion that SF is hurting SF Giants in free agency

Farhan Zaidi did a great job pushing back against the idea that San Francisco's reputation was hurting the SF Giants in free agency on The TK Show.

The SF Giants have had a headline-filled offseason. From the failed pursuits of Shohei Ohtani (#1-ranked free agent) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (#2-ranked free agent), to the signing of Jung Hoo Lee (#9-ranked free agent), to part-owner Buster Posey's comments suggesting negative perceptions of San Francisco were hurting the Giants in free agency, there has been no shortage of headlines. During an appearance on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami this week, Giants president Farhan Zaidi directly challenged the notion that the team's recent losses in free agency are a reflection on the Bay Area.

SF Giants SP Alex Cobb talks to Angels DH Shohei Ohtani between innings. (2022) / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

"When you're talking about the rarefied air of guys like Judge, and Ohtani, and Bryce Harper, I mean these are top five, top ten players in all of baseball and they have a lot of options," Zaidi said. "Personally and professionally I would say, to the extent that I have been a part of this, I take responsibility for that. None of it should be interpreted or viewed as an indictment of the Bay Area."

Though Posey, a former player himself, said he had heard the city's perception has impacted free agent pursuits, Zaidi has not had the same experience. When asked directly by Kawakami if he'd heard outright that players have an issue with the Bay Area due to conservative perceptions of the city, he denied it and said he has only heard about it from agents in recent days following the national firestorm that followed Posey's comments.

"I have not," he said. "This is something I've tried to clarify. I think the challenge in any one free agent pursuit, not across the board... is if a player was born on the east coast and played for an SEC team in college, they're going to want to be on the east coast... In any given case, you could have geography issues that have nothing to do and should not be viewed as a referendum on the Bay Area... I have not heard it from players."

Zaidi, who was born in Canada and raised in the Philippines, also shared his personal connection to the Bay Area. 

"As somebody who's an immigrant to this country, this is where I've made my home," he said. "I've moved away and moved back twice. I love this area, our fans, our organization, everybody knows it's a great place to live. That doesn't mean every free agent we pursue is ultimately going to choose us... It's not going to stop us from making those pursuits."

As the SF Giants try to finish their offseason successfully, they are expected to land at least one of the top remaining free agents. Despite the Dodgers landing two more stars, the Giants are trying to find a way to the 2024 MLB playoffs. By getting back to relevance in the win-loss column, it's easy to see San Francisco becoming a more appealing landing spot for players.