Could Farhan Zaidi Make a Return to Dodgers After Being Fired by Giants?
The San Francisco Giants announced the club was parting ways with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi Monday. If a reunion with Zaidi is in store for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he won’t be the general manager, but perhaps could assume a smaller role.
Zaidi was named the Dodgers’ general manager in 2014, after serving in a similar role in Oakland under former A’s general manager Billy Beane. The Dodgers made their first World Series appearance in 29 years under Zaidi. While Zaidi was general manager in Los Angeles, the Dodgers lost both the 2017 and 2018 World Series.
Zaidi left his role as general manager with the Dodgers for a promotion as the Giants’ president of baseball operations. The Giants finished the following year with a 77-85 record, marking the third consecutive season San Francisco finished with a losing record. The streak would extend to four the following year.
Of Zaidi’s six seasons in San Francisco, only one saw the Giants finish with a winning record: 2021, when the team won a franchise-record 107 games.
Other than that one year, Zaidi’s tenure was a disaster. The Giants went 346-362 record in the Zaidi era outside of the 2021 season. The Giants squandered their one playoff appearance, losing a memorable best-of-five series against the Dodgers.
One thing is certain: Dodgers current general manager Brandon Gomes won’t be replaced by Zaidi. Gomes has been extremely successful as general manager, a position that was vacant from 2018-21.
The former MLB player turned front office executive pairs well with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
“I would joke with him, ‘Hey, when you’re done playing, I’m gonna stalk you for us to hire you,’” Friedman told Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times. “But even with those expectations, he’s far exceeded it.”
The duo successfully orchestrated the free-agent signings of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Teoscar Hernández.
Gomes and Friedman have established a successful system in the Los Angeles front office. Gomes also executed the three-team trade between the Dodgers, White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals that sent utilityman Tommy Edman to Los Angeles.
A day after the Edman trade, Gomes added pitcher Jack Flaherty to the rotation just minutes before the deadline. Had Gomes not succeeded with the Flaherty acquisition, the Dodgers wouldn’t have their likely starter for Game 1 of the NLDS.
Gomes quickly climbed the ladder within the Dodgers organization. Gomes was promoted from pitching coordinator to farm director. Not long after he was promoted once again to assistant general manager. In 2022, Gomes became the Dodgers’ general manager.
Unless Gomes earns a promotion elsewhere, Gomes likely will remain the Dodgers’ general manager. If Zaidi were to return to Los Angeles, he could take on an assistant role, or an advisory position, within the Dodgers’ front office.
