Giants now ‘50-50’ on hiring a GM in offseason

SAN FRANCISCO — What Zaidi inherits in the present, however, is far from ideal. Even Zaidi’s desire to hire a general manager this offseason, a goal he laid out last Wednesday, has been met with complications.

“I think it’s 50-50 on that right now,” Baer said in an interview on KNBR Wednesday. “I know from getting Farhan and that process that it’s not easy. You’ve got to get permission from teams, these are going to be people that are top people with different teams.”

At his introduction, Zaidi, 42, sounded optimistic, passionate and knowledgeable to the point that it’s clear he’s usually the smartest person in the room, regardless of what room he enters. He conveyed a hopeful vision for the future, but did so without speaking in absolutes.

As in, he doesn’t absolutely need to hire a general manager this offseason.

“It’s not the ideal, in a perfect world I think we find that person and identify them,” Zaidi said. “Get to a permission process and find a mutual fit. Larry (Baer) and I have talked about that. It’s certainly a goal because we have a lot of work to do.”

The Giants dedicated more than five weeks to landing Zaidi, who left his post as the Dodgers general manager working under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to guide the Giants’ next generation. The Giants plan to eventually have a similar hierarchy in their front office, but Zaidi is under no orders to rush a hiring process.

“It’s a little late in the day because we had to wait until the Dodgers were out of the playoffs to get Farhan,” Baer said on KNBR. “So I think it’s possible, I don’t think it’s necessary. I think Farhan believes we have a great front office as it is. There’s just so much work to do dividing it up is something that would be ideal, but it’s not necessary.”

Before Zaidi joined Friedman in Los Angeles, he served as an assistant general manager with the Oakland A’s and had rarely crossed paths with the man who hired him. Is that an indication that Zaidi may follow suit and try to expand his own network by hiring a general manager he’s largely unfamiliar with? Or will the Giants’ newest executive install someone he’s exceedingly comfortable with to ensure a smooth operation in his first year on the job?

If the Giants do wait until next offseason to hire a general manager, Zaidi should have an opportunity to broaden his connections around the game and potentially locate a person he may not currently know to assist with leading the operation in San Francisco.

“Being in that kind of setup with the Dodgers, I can appreciate the value of having a couple of people taking on that responsibility,” Zaidi said at his press conference. “But again, it’s really going to be a function of how the process goes from here.”

Both Zaidi and Baer understand the limitations of searching for a front office executive in mid-to-late November. The offseason is already underway and many teams have begun negotiating with or reaching out to free agents. While Major League Baseball encourages teams to allow front office personnel to interview for jobs that would be considered promotions, there comes a point in time when clubs feel that contracts must be honored and business must be conducted as usual.

For some teams with executives who may be attractive general manager candidates, that time may have already come.