MLB Insider: Why Giants executive Farhan Zaidi is on the hot seat

There are dueling reports about the San Francisco Giants’ negotiations that led to Matt Chapman’s six-year, $151 million contract extension.

A report from The Athletic stated that Buster Posey, the best catcher in franchise history, was who got the contract done. A report from the San Francisco Chronicle stated that it was president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi who got the deal done with Chapman’s agent, Scott Boras. 

What both reports state, however, is that Zaidi is on the hot seat in San Francisco. And that should come as no surprise.

The Giants entered the regular season with high expectations, primarily fueled by offseason signings like Chapman, Blake Snell, Jorge Soler and Jung Hoo Lee. While Chapman and Snell have thrived, Soler struggled mightily and was moved in a salary dump trade with the Atlanta Braves. Lee flashed high-end talent in spring training and in the early part of the regular season only to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder in May.

The struggles and injuries, as well as the team’s mediocre performance, has increased frustration within the Giants’ organization. That extension reportedly extended to the Giants’ negotiations with Chapman, with Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic writing: “It was an ownership group that viewed re-signing Chapman as a slam dunk – and did not trust Zaidi and Boras to finish at the rim.”

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Farhan Zaidi is already cooked if Giants didn't trust him on Matt Chapman extension

If that’s true, then the Giants have no choice but to part ways with Zaidi. Having a failed season is one thing. But not trusting your lead executive to execute a deal that the team views is a “slam dunk,” and having that lack of confidence leak, is about as damning of a look on Zaidi and the organization as possible.

It also underscores the growing voice that Posey has within the Giants’ organization. He occupies one of six seats on the board of directors and has publicly voiced his displeasure with the current state of the team. And as Baggarly noted, if Posey is dissatisfied with the job that Zaidi is doing and isn't “aligned often enough on organizational priorities,” then it’s hard to see the partnership working in the short or long-term.

If Zaidi is indeed out after the 2024 season, something that would be of the utmost importance is finding a leader who is aligned with Posey. Finding an executive who can recruit players, a place that has been difficult to lure free agents long-term recently, would be important. So, too, would be finding someone who can get the Giants back to their consistent winning ways, with the franchise making the postseason only twice since 2016.

What the Giants do after the 2024 season is anyone’s guess. But the growing frustration with Zaidi, and the leaks about that frustration, would seem to indicate that the executive is on thin ice – and that could prompt significant leadership changes following the regular season.