Source AP: Giants hire Farhan Zaidi away from Dodgers



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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Former Dodger General Manager Farhan Zaidi is the new president of the San Francisco Giants Baseball Operations.

The Giants announced the hiring on Tuesday night and scheduled an official introduction to AT & T Park on Wednesday, a day before holding a public celebration of the life of the late Hall of Fame inductee Willie McCovey.

Baseball leaders are meeting this week for GM meetings in Carlsbad, California, and Giants CEO Larry Baer knew it might take a long time to find the right person to give a new direction to the department.

Zaidi has just completed his fourth year as General Manager in Los Angeles. His Dodgers won a sixth consecutive title at NL West and lost in the World Series in each of the previous two seasons.

"We decided to find one of the best baseball brains and Farhan's many achievements and skills exceeded our expectations," said Baer. "Farhan is widely regarded as one of the top leaders in our industry and we are excited to see him leading the next chapter of Giants baseball."

In November 2014, Canadian Zaidi left his position as assistant general manager of Oakland Athletics to lead the Dodgers led by Andrew Friedman. Zaidi earned a BA in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998 and a PhD in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 2011.

Thus, Zaidi brings more analytical emphasis and strength. The Giants have sought to improve their baseball operations department and adopt a "new approach", as Baer says.

"I'm delighted to return to the Bay Area and join one of the most prestigious franchises in the game," said Zaidi, who turns 42 this Sunday. "I have watched the giants from a distance and have a great respect for the organization's culture and its many accomplishments. I am excited about this new opportunity and look forward to getting to work. "

Zaidi should have the opportunity to hire someone as a general manager under his responsibility. He spent 10 seasons with Oakland and had many responsibilities with Billy Beane's staff, including playing a key role in the acquisition of Cuban slug Yoenis Cespedes before the 2012 season.

The Giants fired General Manager Bobby Evans in September. San Francisco – who won the World Series championships in 2010, respectively 12 and 14 – scored 73-89 in 2018 and 5-21 in September to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year and a third in four seasons.

Zaidi's areas of expertise included statistical analysis to assess and target the actors in the amateur trade, free agent and trade markets. He has also worked on arbitration cases and minor league contracts and worked closely with coaches to analyze data from screening reports.

Previously, Zaidi was involved in the business development of Small World Media, The Sporting News' fantasy division, and was also a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported for the first time hiring Tuesday night.

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