Front-office reboot starts with Evans
Key architect of title-winning teams out as GM as Giants look for ‘fresh approach’
SAN FRANCISCO >> As their second straight losing season comes to a close, the Giants don’t have any plans to perform an autopsy.
The ownership group has already mourned the end of the franchise’s golden era. The Giants plan to embrace the next generation, and in doing so, they’ll leave general manager Bobby Evans, a key pillar of their glory days, behind.
Giants CEO Larry Baer announced Evans was dismissed from his role before the Giants’ 5-0 loss to the Padres on Monday as part of a wide-reaching organizational shakeup expected to continue in the coming days. The search for a new general manager will begin immediately and vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean will assist with the process.
“We needed to take a fresh approach with baseball operations,” Baer said.
“We’ve had a very successful group here a long time, but we’ve got to bring a new approach to Giants baseball and take a look outside.”
Evans had one year remaining on his contract, but the Giants relieved him of his duties in the final days of another frustrating season. Since the 2016 AllStar break, the Giants have posted a 166-225 (.425) record and will finish with a
sub-.500 mark in back-toback seasons for the first time since 2007-08.
After the Giants clinched their third World Series title in 2014, Evans took over day-to-day operations as the general manager while Sabean was promoted to his current role. Evans reported directly to Baer, but after a 98-loss season in 2017, the organizational structure shifted and Evans reported to Sabean.
Baer and Sabean said the chain of command will once again change this offseason, as the new hire will have full control of baseball operations and report to Baer.
“I’ve really been in a global position, quality position, best practices chair since ‘15,” Sabean said. “There’s really no transition. Whoever comes in at the behest of ownership, Larry is that person, I’ll work through any problem or any interest of the organization like I have since ‘15.”
Like Sabean, Evans has been with the organization for more than 20 season and played a critical role in building three World Series rosters. The Giants plan to offer Evans a new role, but it’s unclear whether he is willing to remain with the franchise.
Baer and Sabean will
collaborate to hire Evans’ replacement, but the new leader will not have the authority to select the Giants’ manager in 2019. Bruce Bochy, the longesttenured manager in the National League, will enter the final year of his contract and is expected to return for his 13th season with the Giants.
While Sabean does not plan to take a hands-on approach to baseball operations, his presence on the search committee gives him the authority to help select a candidate who’s vision for the future of the Giants aligns with his own.
“We have had success through pitching, defense and timely hitting and quite frankly, the nature of the ballpark might be a tall order for any other way of doing business,” Sabean said. “I don’t see this organization, no matter who comes in and takes over and who manages in the future, turn ourselves into the Broad Street Bullies and become the Yankees.”
Baer said the franchise is looking to hire the “next-gen” baseball mind who will bring a fresh approach to baseball operations. Though the Giants have not begun considering
candidates, the hire will likely have the opportunity to add to the front office, which could put jobs belonging to current members of the organization in jeopardy.
“I think there will be a top person accountable,” Baer said. “I think it’s fully possible this person could ask to bring in some associates or colleagues. That’s possible, I don’t know.”
Evans’ dismissal is the first high-profile move for a Giants franchise that must make drastic changes if it hopes to contend in the immediate future. Baer has indicated the organization has no plans to consider a full-scale rebuild, which means a new leader of baseball operations will be tasked with turning around a roster with inherent flaws.
Since the end of the 2014 season, many of Evans’ marquee free agent signings have failed to live up to expectations. The Giants spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars to bring in starting pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija prior to the 2016 season and committed $62 million over four years to land reliever Mark Melancon before 2017 and all three pitchers have had multiple stints on the team’s disabled list.
Several trades failed to dramatically improve an
offense that has ranked among the worst in baseball for the last two seasons, as Evans sent fan favorite Matt Duffy to Tampa Bay in 2016 before acquiring Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen in an effort to boost the Giants’ offense heading into this season.
• Scoring runs continues to be a struggle for what is left of the Giants.
With only four of eight opening day position players still in uniform as the final week of the season began, the Giants lost 5-0 to the Padres, falling to 4-17 for the month of September.
The Giants have averaged just 2.6 runs in those 21 games, topping five runs just once.
The day after the Padres lost 14-0 to the Dodgers, the NL West’s last-place team got a near-complete game from right-hander Bryan Mitchell, who had won just once all season and entered the game sporting a 6.16 earned run average.
The Giants (72-85) got runners to third base in both the fourth and fifth innings but managed just six singles off Mitchell through eight innings. Brandon Crawford led off the ninth with a double down the right-field line and two walks loaded the bases with two outs but
came up empty.