Giants’ search for exec goes on
New hire will report directly to team CEO Baer
SAN FRANCISCO >> During the final week of the 2018 season, the Giants dismissed general manager Bobby Evans and announced a search to hire a “next-gen” front office executive.
Three weeks later, the search is ongoing, even if it remains relatively quiet.
Giants CEO Larry Baer said he did not anticipate making details of the search public, which means it will be difficult to gather much from the process until the franchise reveals a new hire. At the midpoint of October, most of what we know about the search stems from Baer’s comments to beat writers on the final day of the regular season and small bits of information that national reporters have gathered.
Though Evans technically served as the general manager for four seasons, his role changed in 2018 as he no longer reported directly to Baer. Instead, after a last-place finish in 2017, the Giants restructured the front office hierarchy and had vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean sign off on Evans’ decisions.
Sabean is under contract for one more season, but the Giants insist his role will shift under a new regime. Evans’ replacement will report to Baer and Sabean is expected to step away from the day-to-day operations of the front office, which is what he did after the 2014 World Series.
It’s possible Sabean’s title could change, too, as the Giants aren’t hiring Evans’ replacement to serve as a general manager. Instead, Baer and Sabean are interviewing candidates to become the team’s president of baseball operations, a decision that became clear following a report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal reported the Giants had requested permission to interview Milwaukee Brewers general
manager David Stearns for the president of baseball operations role, but Brewers owner Mark Attanasio did not allow Stearns a chance to discuss the opportunity with Baer and Sabean.
At the end of the regular season, Baer indicated that Major League Baseball encourages franchises to allow front office personnel to interview for jobs that would technically be considered promotions. However, there is no rule in place requiring teams to do so.
The Giants’ targeting of Stearns didn’t come as a surprise as the 33-year-old constructed a roster that finished with the most wins in the National League this season. The Brewers won 96 games despite lacking a strong starting rotation and Stearns executed several successful midseason trades to position Milwaukee for a lengthy postseason run.
Stearns is well-respected in the industry, but he’s not the only high-profile executive who won’t interview with the Giants. Rosenthal also reported that Toronto Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington removed himself from consideration from positions with the Giants and New York Mets.
Cherington gained front office experience working for the Boston Red Sox in the early 2000s, but apparently did not feel compelled to take on a challenging turnaround this offseason.
The Giants have not placed a timetable on their search and Baer has said the team won’t rush the process, but as teams continue to be eliminated, from the playoffs, San Francisco could have a wider pool of candidates from which to draw. Two executives who have emerged as candidates per reports include Kim Ng, a senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball and Arizona Diamondbacks assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye.
Ng has worked in the New York Yankees’ and Los Angeles Dodgers’ front offices while Sawdaye held top scouting roles for the Red Sox under Cherington and Theo Epstein before joining the Diamondbacks. Sawdaye reportedly has talked to the Giants, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
In the coming days, more names of interviewees could leak out, but it’s likely that the Giants will continue to keep their search closely guarded. Baer and Sabean likely did not enjoy the public rebuff that came of requesting permission to contact Stearns, and there are other top baseball executives who might also be prevented from interviewing by their respective clubs.
Eventually, the Giants will finish the process and announce a hire, but because Baer and Sabean know they must execute a thorough and comprehensive search, it’s entirely possible the exercise won’t wrap up until after the World Series.