That qualifies as “landing on your feet.”
Six years ago, when Farhan Zaidi signed on to be President of Baseball Operations with the San Francisco Giants, it created dueling narratives with a fanbase involved in one of baseball’s best rivalries. For some, Zaidi, who came to the Giants after being General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, had already staked his loyalty by building a name with a hated rival, and he was unwanted the same way that even prime Clayton Kershaw was. For others, it was a feel-good story of someone with long-standing Bay Area roots leaving a rival for the chance to run their favorite team. The self-labeled “dream job.”
Those narratives started to dissipate over the years, but now they’re likely to return. Because on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Zaidi is in talks to return to the Dodgers’ front office after being fired by the Giants a few months ago.
It’s not yet known what role Zaidi is in line for, though it will surely be a demotion not just from his time with the Giants, but also his first stint with the Dodgers. LA already has the highly-respected duo of President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Gomes.
While Zaidi’s tenure with the Giants clearly didn’t work out the way both sides hoped, he remains respected and sought after in MLB circles, so him finding another job is not in the least surprising. If there’s any surprise, it’s in Zaidi taking a lesser role rather than holding out for a General Manager or President of Baseball Operations gig, as many teams — especially small market teams — would likely be interested in him.
But it makes sense for him to return to the Dodgers. After the stress of running a historic franchise, with a fanbase that openly (and loudly) disliked him, all while battling a health issue and constant rumors that his job was in jeopardy, it’s quite sensible for Zaidi to pick a soft landing spot. Taking a reduced role, with people he knows he works well with (Friedman was the President of Baseball Operations when Zaidi was the Dodgers’ General Manager), for a powerhouse organization is a great way for Zaidi to reset his stress level, rebuild his value, and potentially win a ring in the process. If I had to guess, he’ll be running the show somewhere else before too long.
Zaidi will also work around a lot of players he’s familiar with. Two of LA’s marquee players — Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — were stars that Zaidi aggressively pursued in free agency this time last year. The Dodgers’ biggest signing this offseason, southpaw starter Blake Snell, is someone Zaidi signed last offseason. The Dodgers still have a handful of players that Zaidi had a role in acquiring during his tenure there from 2014-2018, and even one player (Max Muncy) who he had a role in not just acquiring with the Dodgers but, prior to that, drafting while with the Oakland A’s (yes, I will continue to call them that).
And with that, I will hit the pause button on wishing Zaidi the best, and will resume those feelings when he is employed by a team that isn’t the Dodgers.
How many days until Opening Day?
Only 113 now!