The San Francisco Giants hired their last president of baseball operations straight out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office, adding another wrinkle to a century-old rivalry between the two National League West teams.
Farhan Zaidi was the Dodgers' general manager under Andrew Friedman from 2015-18. He left Los Angeles to run the Giants in 2019, but could not lead San Francisco past its rivals.
The Giants ended the Dodgers' streak of division titles in 2021, only to lose to them in the NL Division Series. That was the only year they reached the postseason under Zaidi, who was fired in September.
Longtime Giants catcher Buster Posey replaced Zaidi as president of baseball operations. He is currently searching for a new general manager to serve as his top lieutenant.
In yet another case of imitation as a form of flattery, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday that two of the Giants' top GM candidates are alumni of the Dodgers' front office.
Susan Slusser reports that former Dodgers and Nationals director of player development De Jon Watson, (now a special advisor in the Astros' front office) and former Dodgers scouting director Logan White (now a special advisor with the San Diego Padres) are among the top candidates for the Giants' GM vacancy.
The Giants previously requested permission to interview longtime Oakland A's executive Billy Owens, who figures to be in the mix as well.
Notably absent from the list of top candidates: longtime Minnesota Twins GM Thad Levine and former Marlins GM Kim Ng, both of whom were let go in the last year.
Slusser also mentioned two former Giants executives from their run of three World Series championships in five years (2010-14): Bobby Evans, who might not be under consideration for the GM job but could get an interview; and Brian Sabean, who would be "welcomed back in an advisory role."
Sabean is currently working for the New York Yankees in a similar position.
The Giants went 80-82 last season, their second consecutive losing campaign under Zaidi. The Giants also finished under .500 in Zaidi's first two seasons (2019-20) before shocking the NL West with a 107-55 first-place campaign in 2021.
The new GM will inherit manager Bob Melvin, who left the Padres after failing to reach the postseason despite high expectations in 2023. Melvin, 62, is familiar with White from their time in San Diego and Owens from their time in Oakland. Melvin managed the A's from 2011-21.
