Why SF Giants were right to give Zaidi and Kapler another year

Want to start a fight between two Giants fans? Ask them their opinions on Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler.

Nothing quite inspires fierce debate among the faithful like the performances of the Giants’ president of baseball operations and manager. Their defenders are just as passionate as their detractors, and it’s hard to find any middle ground. The recent announcement from owner Greg Johnson that both Zaidi and Kapler would be back next year — playoffs or not — really broke the dam.

So let me be brave enough to sit on the fence here. Yes, both deserve at least one more year to see their plan through. But their seats should at least be a little warm to the touch.

It’s easy to forget now, but when the Giants hired Zaidi at the end of the 2018 season, they were an abject disaster. The roster was full of pricey, underperforming veterans, and the farm system was bereft of any kind of talent that could help. He inherited an undesirable mess: a team that was in transition but couldn’t admit it for fear of shrinking ticket sales.

This is Zaidi’s fifth year, generally enough time to remake a franchise. But that timeline isn’t entirely fair, considering the year of development that was lost in 2020 and bled into 2021. Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos, Kyle Harrison — the system has produced a handful of future lineup regulars, something that has to happen at this stage of a rebuild. There are other names like Marco Luciano and Hayden Birdsong that aren’t far from contributing. A system that was ranked 28th by MLB.com in 2019 has shot up into the top half of the league with Zaidi at the helm.

As far as trades and free agents, he’s had a lot of hits (Kevin Gausman, Alex Cobb, Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Thairo Estrada, Carlos Rodon) and a lot of misses (almost everyone he signed this past winter). He’s shown he’s not afraid to make a big move when it’s warranted (Kris Bryant), and he’s smart enough to know not to sell out the system for a marginal upgrade (this most recent deadline). He really is a wash in this department. A number of the players he’s brought in have contributed immensely, and the ones who haven’t are at the very least on short-term deals.

One of the biggest knocks against Farhan has been his inability to land the “big fish,” the major free agent who’d solidify the lineup, sell tickets, pose for pictures, etc. And while I completely agree the Giants desperately lack star power — they should have sold their souls for Aaron Judge, and the Carlos Correa saga was embarrassing — it’s hard to fully blame the front office.

For one thing, no Giants boss has landed a superstar free agent since Bob Quinn, back when the first George Bush was president. Brian Sabean, for all his successes, couldn’t do it; in fact, his now-infamous rant about the “lunatic fringe” stemmed from criticisms about missing out on players like Vlad Guerrero and settling for more platoon-like hitters (sounds familiar). For whatever reason, superstars seem hesitant to head to San Francisco.

Plus, Giants’ ownership isn’t exactly known for shelling out big, long-term deals to players outside of the organization. They seem perfectly content having a middle-of-the-road payroll, in spite of being in one of the game’s biggest markets, and whoever’s in charge needs to be comfortable working within the given financial parameters. Zaidi has shown a knack for that, even though not all of his moves have worked out. He’s not totally absolved of whatever failures the Giants face, but it’s not fair to put the blame entirely on his shoulders, either. He’s working with what he’s given.

As for Kapler, he honestly seems like the perfect man for the job of implementing the Giants’ strategy. Like it or not, this is a team committed to the modern approach of platoons and matchups, and Kapler is fully bought in. Some of the things that hounded him in Philadelphia have followed him here — bullpen management, for one — but for the most part, he’s done the job he was brought in to do. Zaidi wouldn’t say the pair are a “package deal” when asked directly on Thursday. “I think with any GM, when you hire a manager, there’s some joint responsibility there,” he said on KNBR. “I don’t know whether the two of us view ourselves as a package deal — whether it’s in baseball or socially or anything like that — but there’s joint responsibility.” Whatever you want to call it: Kapler and Zaidi are as close to a package deal as it comes.

Taking all of that into account, yes — Kapler and Zaidi should stay. They’ve navigated through a tenuous situation and have put the Giants on the right path. The next core is forming right in front of us, stocking the team with young players at key positions who should contribute for a long time. And what would a new front office do differently? Go back in time and offer Judge $500 million? They’d be under the same financial constraints, and at least Zaidi has shown a knack for being able to work with them. When it comes down to it, the Giants are the Johnsons’ show. Any kind of philosophical change will start with them, and until that happens, Zaidi and his brand of roster-building are the best we can hope for.

But that also doesn’t give them a free ride next season, either. Regardless of whether or not the team makes the playoffs this year, there’s a lot of work to do over the winter. The rookies have done well, but the Giants have to fortify the lineup around them with hitters who can provide a threat. Whether that’s in free agency (unlikely) or via trades, they need to add offense, with hopefully better results this time around. Relying on veterans who aren’t as injury-prone as, say, Mitch Haniger would be a good start. And it seems clear the rotation could use some actual reliable starters to fill in behind Logan Webb, Cobb and Harrison.

Next year is huge. The Giants, by all accounts, should be contenders. They’re in playoff position this year, which is remarkable considering all of the rookies and lineup turmoil they’ve had. But next year is the real test. Young guys will be expected to contribute, Zaidi will be counted on to make key additions, and Kapler will have to make it all work. If they fall flat, a reckoning may be coming. But it isn’t here yet.

Sitting on a fence isn’t the most comfortable position, by any means. But sometimes it gives you the best view of things.

Dave Tobener (@gggiants on Twitter) is a lifelong Giants fan whose family has had season tickets for over 30 years. He’s been lucky enough to never miss a World Series game in The City in his lifetime, still isn’t completely over 2002, and lives and dies with the Giants every year.