Zaidi further clarifies his involvement in Giants’ roster decisions originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Farhan Zaidi wants to set the record straight.
The former Giants president of baseball operations, speaking publicly on Wednesday’s episode of “Foul Territory” for the first time since he was fired on September 30discussed numerous topics regarding his tenure with the organization, including his involvement in the team’s day-to-day decisions after Giants legend Will Clark previously said Zaidi was the one who took the lead.
“I think my reputation precedes me with this stuff,” Zaidi told AJ Pierzynski, Erik Kratz and Scott Braun. “You look around the game, the front offices and the managers, there’s a lot of interaction, there’s a lot of back and forth. I was never part of the team. I know Will Clark thinks I made the lineup. I love Will, but that just wasn’t the case.
Although Zaidi did not make the rosters, he discussed the decisions with Melvin and the coaching staff in what he considers a collaborative process.
“Sometimes you wonder, ‘Hey, our starting catcher is going to catch two out of three.’ When is the right time to call on the replacement?” Zaidi said. “Or do you want to get the staff’s opinion on how they view the opposing team’s starting pitcher? Do we think this guy is better against lefties or righties? What does that mean in terms of the guys we put in the lineup?
“But I saw it all as a conversation. I never said, ‘This guy has to play.’ I think when you step back, you could say, “Hey, we’re elevating this young player, we want to give him playing time.” So, general things like that, but on a day-to-day basis, we definitely have conversations about. There was never a roster handover that put guys 1-9, I think that’s a real misconception.
Despite Zaidi and Melvin’s working relationship lasting only one season with the Giants, the two previously worked together for four seasons with the Oakland Athletics from 2011 to 2014, where Zaidi served as assistant general manager and Melvin as team manager.
While Zaidi is now considering a potential role with the Los Angeles Dodgersthe two former colleagues could soon become NL West division rivals.
