NO GIANT SCORE
Lots of chatter in Vegas winter meetings, but Zaidi doesn’t roll the dice
Farhan Zaidi, the new Giants president of baseball operations, does not appear to feel major pressure to make any blockbuster moves. LAS VEGAS >> The baseball winter meetings are billed as the ultimate destination for baseball’s deal-makers, a hub where executives and agents lock themselves in hotel rooms late into the night to negotiate, strategize and take care of business.
The reality, however, is far different from the public perception.
If you’re the type that enjoys exchanging pleasantries, shaking hands and discussing overpriced restaurant options, the lobby of the Mandalay Bay resort and casino was the place to be.
The front of the Las Vegas strip offered team officials, media members and fans alike the opportunity to gather, spend $17 on a drip coffee and breakfast sandwich at Starbucks and watch Marlins Man do radio interviews and take selfies with every passerby. Guests walking the casino floor couldn’t miss the MLB Network television set, which provided more than 45 hours of live coverage, 40 of which was devoted to four analysts reading their own tweets on the air.
It was as compelling as it sounds.
Even Farhan Zaidi, the new Giants president of baseball operations who is lauded for his ability to do business faceto-face, downplayed the hype of the winter meetings. Zaidi said some of the conversations he had with rival executives and agents weren’t exactly substantive, but that was fine for a Giants contingent blending new faces and old.
Zaidi did make the most of his time, meeting with agents, including Scott Boras, Bryce Harper’s representative. They met Tuesday night in a suite a few hundred yards away from where Zaidi initially thought Boras’ camp set up. After knocking on the wrong room door, Zaidi frantically walked away hoping he didn’t disturb an unsuspecting guest and eventually found the right suite.
The next morning, Boras stood in front of a large Christmas tree at Mandalay Bay, offering his annual stateof-the-Boras update to dozens of media members who could barely hear a word he said. By the time I caught a ride to the airport Thursday, the Giants had made three additions to their major league roster: outfielder Michael Gerber, outfielder Drew Ferguson and pitcher Travis Bergen. If you knew any of those three names before the winter meetings, you’re qualified to read your own tweets live on MLB Network.
In failing to see sunlight be-