A lot has changed in the Titans’ orbit over the past couple of weeks, and now the series seems to be floating aimlessly in outer space.
On September 14, Giants owner Greg Johnson spoke to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and expressed his public support for manager Gabe Kapler and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. But on Friday, Kapler was fired, not allowed to finish his fourth season in San Francisco.
That leaves Zaidi as the man responsible for finding the Giants’ next manager, as well as trying to figure out how to turn the team’s fortunes around in 2024.
Shortly after the Giants announced Kapler’s firing on Friday, Al-Zaidi met with local reporters and was asked about Johnson’s previous comments to Slusser.
“Greg has publicly expressed his support for me and his expectation that I will be back next year,” Zaidi said. “I think I would like to make clear, you know, that this support does not constitute an endorsement of what we’ve done the last two seasons or any degree of happiness or satisfaction with the results that we’ve had. I think Greg is very unhappy with us getting to about .500 and not being at Playoffs the last two years like all of us.
The Giants missed the MLB playoffs in three of Kapler’s four years as manager, including this season, in which they were 13 games over .500 in early August. But a two-month collapse doomed San Francisco and they wouldn’t even finish at .500.
The Giants’ lack of talent on the roster is clear and Zaidi must correct the problem, whether it be through MLB free agency or trades.
Since Zaidi only has one year left on his contract, the pressure is enormous.
“We had a lot of conversations about how to get back to where we want to be and what we need,” Al-Zaidi said. “We want to have a product that excites our fans about a product that our fans come to the stadium to see. And I realize that I think that’s what ownership wants to see.”
Fans and media pundits have openly pointed out the lack of excitement and star power on the roster. This is something Al-Zaidi is well aware of as he heads into a vitally important break.
“I know a lot of you personally and a lot of good people in this group and you haven’t had a lot of positive things to write about frankly over the last two seasons,” Al-Zaidi said. “And I think from an ownership standpoint, from my standpoint, it’s our responsibility to change the narrative around this team. We want people to feel good about it and be excited about the team. We’ve had a lot of conversations about that.”
But as Al-Zaidi saw with Kapler, a vote of confidence by the monarchy is not a strict order. Opinions can change very quickly in professional sports.
“To answer your question, I know Greg has addressed it before and I have had the support to do what we need to do,” Al-Zaidi said. “But again, it doesn’t suggest that – it shouldn’t suggest that the board is happy or that Greg is happy with the way the teams have played the last couple of years because no one is happy with that.”
Zaidi needs to choose a new manager soon, likely in the next month or so before post-World Series free agency begins. Then he has to adjust the roster, which seems to be declining. After posting 107 wins in 2021, the Giants finished 81-81 last season. This year, the best they can do is 80-82 depending on how the last two games go.
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In order to compete with the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers, upstart Arizona Diamondbacks and star-studded San Diego Padres in the NL West, the Giants need upgrades across the roster and throughout the minor league system.
If Al-Zaidi cannot accomplish this quickly, Johnson may be forced to withdraw his support.
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