As Farhan Zaidi wraps up his sixth campaign in San Francisco, the Giants president of baseball operations revealed a key regret from the team's recent run of disappointing seasons.
During an interview with KNBR's "Tolbert & Copes" on Thursday, Zaidi shared penitence for not creating more consistent big-league opportunities for San Francisco's younger players.
"When I look back at the last couple of years, the question I have is, 'Should we have created more opportunities for some of our young players to keep getting opportunities?' " Zaidi told Tolbert and Copes. "Because really, that's how we get to the other side of this. The treading water, the disappointing .500 seasons, is just creating more opportunities for our young players, and letting them sink or swim a little more. I think we've had some success with that, and I think we just have to go to that well a little more."
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While Heliot Ramos burst on the scene with an MLB All-Star appearance this season, the opportunities for Giants youngsters generally have been few and far between during Zaidi's tenure with the franchise.
Most notably, San Francisco's handling of highly touted prospect Marco Luciano has raised some concerns about the Giants' long-term vision regarding the franchise's minor-to-major-league pipeline.
Add in the Giants' preference to sign veteran players rather than slot in young up-and-comers into key roles, and it's clear a pattern of overlooking the team's youth has been established.
With San Francisco wrapping up its third consecutive season missing the MLB playoffs, Zaidi's status with the Giants remains unclear despite contract guarantees tying the executive to the team through the 2025 season.
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If Zaidi continues in his role moving forward, expect to see an increased focus on an infusion of youth for San Francisco.
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