He said it on KNBR — in his now-famous “rethink everything” divulgence — and also at his press conference that capped yet another playoff-less season.
Farhan Zaidi wants the Giants to focus on long-term commitments this winter.
“Whether it’s going into the market or evaluating our own players, we want to have an emphasis on continuity,” Zaidi said. “Players who are going to be here for a long time.”
In some ways, as Zaidi’s tenure has matured, the Giants have had less roster turnover. A franchise record 65 players wore a Giants jersey in 2022, an unfortunate symbol of the churn and 40-man roster maneuvering that defines Zaidi’s “no move too small” ideology. This year, Zaidi noted, San Francisco had the fewest number of Major League pitchers in baseball.
Still, the Giants used 52 players this season. They had their healthy share of Darin Rufs, Matt Beatys, Cal Stevensons and AJ Pollocks. Tristan Beck, Keaton Winn, Heliot Ramos, Luis Matos, Casey Schmitt, David Villar and Bryce Johnson rode the option bus.
Zaidi admitted that a sense of stability can help players perform at their best. One Giant told KNBR recently that one of the biggest reasons he struggled last year was because he put too much pressure on himself as the omnipresent fear of getting optioned loomed.
Roster continuity can also help clubhouse dynamics and empower leaders. It can help fans more confidently latch onto favorite players that they know are under contract for the foreseeable future. There’s intangible value in securing players for longer than a year or two.
When it comes to Zaidi’s promise of a long-term focus, that would be a departure from his status quo. The longest contract, besides Logan Webb’s five-year extension, is still three years (Anthony DeSclafani, Tommy La Stella, Mitch Haniger). The most common brand of contract he has completed has been one-year deals or similar deals with player opt-outs attached.
That’s not entirely by design. The Giants were, by all accounts, fully committed to pursuing Aaron Judge and reportedly had a 13-year deal in place for Carlos Correa, before backing out because of concerns over his long-term health.
But if Zaidi stays true to his word, this offseason — as he enters his lame-duck year as president of baseball operations — will look much different than his previous five. As of now, Webb is the only player signed through 2026 (and 2027). That could change.
“I think we’re really trying to kind of consolidate, trying to be more consistent with the players on the team,” Zaidi said. “I think stability just helps people perform at their best. Whether it’s the free agency market, trade acquisitions or kind of making decisions on players who might be here short-term versus our younger players who have a chance to be here for a while – I think our inclination is to lean towards stability.”
Here are some ways the focus could play out.
The trade angle
Given the state of the free agency class and the Giants’ concentrated strengths as an organization, this path could be ripe.
Trading either for a star player already inked to a long-term contract, or a young player still under team control, is probably the most likely way the Giants could reinvigorate the roster (and fan base).
Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Luis Robert or other star players will be in rumors this winter. Whether or not they’re actually available is unclear, but everyone — to some degree — has a price.
The Giants, under Zaidi, haven’t swung a trade that tips the scales. There are some internal rumblings that the front office is too focused on the idea of “winning the trade” in a sense that they wouldn’t compromise assets to surrender what they deem as surplus value. When every team uses similar models to evaluate players and transactions, that makes executing trades difficult; you have to give to get.
With the above superstar players, the Giants would certainly have to give up a lot. In some cases, that would mean multiple top prospects and MLB-ready talent.
Zaidi seems to realize that the Giants fan base, one that has been accustomed to watching stars perform for decades, is hungry for a return to flashy billboards and household names. SF’s attendance stagnated this year as much of the rest of the league saw box office spikes.
“People vote with their feet,” Zaidi said. “As a baseball group, I think it’s our responsibility to put a compelling product on the field. We’ve talked a lot about how if you win, that usually drives attendance. I still think that’s true.”
What plays in this market is not only winning, but winning with stars fans can relate to. Swinging a big trade that subtracts from San Francisco’s glut of pitching prospects to add an everyday position player or two could go a long way on both fronts.
More trade musings — the Red Sox, Cardinals and Reds are in inverse positions as the Giants, with position players aplenty but a lack of pitching. They each have players who could help SF, particularly up the middle.
Boston center fielder Jarren Duran broke out this season with 24 steals and an .828 OPS. Will Benson is more of a corner outfielder for the Reds, but would help the Giants’ directive of getting more athletic. Lars Nootbaar of the Cardinals is a terrific defensive center fielder and has only had above average seasons from the plate.
It will take creativity and risk, but making a trade to achieve SF’s goals — improving defensively and athletically while supporting the offense — should be a significant priority.
Internal solutions
When the Braves extended Ronald Acuña Jr. for $100 million over eight years, they did so after his Rookie of the Year season in which he posted an OPS of .917.
The Diamondbacks only needed to see a month of Corbin Carroll at the big-league level to ink him to a similar pact.
The Rays extended starter Chris Archer in 2014 after he made 23 starts.
The Giants don’t have any extension candidates close to the level of Acuña or Carroll. And for every Acuña extension, there’s a Jon Singleton one. Extending players under team control can be very risky.
But, if the Giants really do want to show that they’re committed to continuity, they could seek to buy out some of their top young players’ arbitration years with extensions. This also, obviously, requires the players themselves to be interested in such an arrangement.
Have the Giants seen enough of Kyle Harrison to want to secure him to a long-term deal while he’s still in pre-arbitration? How about Patrick Bailey? Would Luis Matos, 21, like to exchange arb money for guaranteed millions for eight or nine years?
The Giants have financial flexibility. Committing money down the line to young players you believe in could pay off as bargains if they reach their potential. If not, they’re the kind of big-market team that could brush off a couple million in 2027 as a rounding error.
Aside from this year’s rookie crop, Thairo Estrada is really the only other player on the roster who would feasibly be eligible for an extension. He’s under team control through 2026, his 30-year-old season, so extending him much further beyond that wouldn’t make a ton of actuarial sense.
When it comes to roster continuity, extending players already in the system would be the most inconsequential move because the players in question are already under contract. And while there still could be intangible value to doing so, it would probably be too premature.
Free agency avenue
Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani.
Every team with capital will be in on Shohei Ohtani, even with his torn UCL. He’ll still command the richest contract in MLB history and will change any franchise that adds him in every conceivable way.
The Giants shouldn’t be ruled out. They showed a willingness to spend last winter, offering Carlos Correa the biggest contract he’ll ever see and playing with the big boys in the Aaron Judge sweepstakes.
Nobody knows exactly what Ohtani will value. Some believe he prefers the West Coast. Others think his main priority will be winning a World Series, even though his behavior in the past has run contrary to that (he signed with the Angels to bring a struggling franchise to glory).
For whatever it’s worth, Bookies.com released odds on Wednesday listing the Giants as the third-likeliest team to sign Ohtani — behind the Dodgers and Mets.
Landing Ohtani would, by definition, require a commitment to roster continuity. Spreading at least $500 million over at least 10 years and building around the two-way phenom certainly would check all the boxes of stability, stardom and brand.
The rest of the free agency class is relatively thin. Cody Bellinger might be the best non-Ohtani position player available. Korean outfielder Jung-hoo Lee, 25, could have All-Star potential.
Zaidi said the Giants likely won’t seek out rotation depth, but any team would jump at the opportunity to add frontline starting pitching. Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, and Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto fit the bill.
San Francisco expects 15 to 20 returning players, Zaidi said (although many of those will have minor league options). To achieve continuity and create a better on-field product, they’ll need to do more than just dip into the free agency waters.
