Former San Francisco Giants Executive Fires Back at Franchise Legend

Former San Francisco Giants executive Farhan Zaidi recently spoke about missteps and responded to criticism.

Nov 9, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi answers questions from the media during the MLB GM Meetings at The Conrad Las Vegas. / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Farhan Zaidi was recently replaced by Buster Posey as the President of Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants. His tenure was mired in disappointment from most fans outside of one big season, and he received a lot of criticism from both the fan base and even some legends of the Giants.

Recently on the show Foul Territory, he spoke to what he wanted from his tenure, how he saw the team, regrets he had and even fired back at a player who called him out.

Back in October, former San Francisco All-Star Will Clark had some choice words about Zaidi and his front office. On the show "Dueces Wild," hosted by former MLB player Eric Byrnes, Clark spoke about how he thought it was time for a change in the front office.

"The San Francisco Giants and the historical franchise that we have are made to win. When you lose five of six years, finished below .500, guess what? You’re setting your ass up to be [expletive] fired. That’s just the way it is," he said on the show.

While harsh, it's also true. Zaidi was brought in to add more analytics and biuld on what he had done with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The first couple of years under Zaidi were always going to be rebuilding years, which they wound up being, and then San Francisco just missed out on the playoffs in the pandemic shortened season.

In 2021, the Giants were the most surprising team in baseball, winning 107 games and the NL West, ending the Dodgers eight year steak of winning the division. However, the lost to those Dodgers in the NLDS ending a cinderalla story early.

Unfortunately for Zaidi and those under him, the next three seasons saw just one at .500 and the other two were losing seasons, causing a shakeup in the organization.

On Foul Territory, Zaidi spoke to some of Clark's criticism and clarfied some things on the subject.

"I think my reputation precedes me with that kind of thing. You look around the game, front offices and managers, there’s a lot of interactions, there’s a lot of exchange. I never made the lineup. I know Will Clark thinks I made the lineup. I love Will, but that just wasn’t the case," the former executive said.

By the time his tenure was over, there were many rumors and reports floating around the Zaidi, much like Billy Beane in the move "Moneyball,' was making the lineups and all of the big decisions on a daily basis. Zaidi clearly refutes that.

"But on a day-to-day basis, we definitely have conversations about the lineup. There was never the handing over of a slip that had the guys 1-9. I think that’s a real misconception," Zaidi continued.

Although he may not have had the best press since being let go, Zaidi won't be without a job for long. His tenure with the Giants didn't go as planned, but he still has plenty to offer any front office.