LAS VEGAS -- The MLB Winter Meetings have never been held in a spot with more distractions than the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, but for the Giants executives settling into their suite Sunday afternoon, the next week is all about how much work there is to do.
Farhan Zaidi got a late start to the offseason, but that hasn't been an issue. Aside from a few big trades and signings, the market is intact, and the Giants remain poised to execute whatever plan Zaidi presented to Larry Baer in a long meeting that made him the man for the head of baseball operations job.
The details of that plan are one of three big questions to be answered this week:
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Until Zaidi makes a couple of moves, we won't have a true idea of what he's thinking the 2019 team can look like. For now, we have some information, though.
The Giants are looking for starting pitching, and they obviously have major issues in the lineup. The fan base would feel a lot better if there were some sort of outfield addition this week, although team officials continue to downplay the possibility of a run at Bryce Harper. This team does not in any way appear to be at the start of the rebuild.
Many of Zaidi's moves will be made on the edges. Letting Hunter Strickland and Gorkys Hernandez go shows that he believes there are equal (and cheaper) alternatives on the market. The Giants haven't yet found those alternatives, or players to fill in a 40-man roster that has only 34 players, but this is the week when that should heat up.
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What does a new front office actually think of the holdovers?
Zaidi has not publicly said much about the 2018 roster, only noting that it's a group he likes but one not good enough that any options should be off the table. This week, he'll meet with the media at least three times, and countless other whispers will emerge from the endless churn of information-gathering at the Mandalay Bay.
Do the Giants actually want to trade Madison Bumgarner? We'll have much better intel in a few days. Will Brandon Belt or Evan Longoria be put on the block? What's the real plan for Buster Posey, who is coming off hip surgery? Does Zaidi like Derek Holland and Nick Hundley as much as they like the Giants?
By the end of this week, we'll know much more about the new president's thoughts on a team he repeatedly beat over the last four years.
What's the future of the front office and staff?
Manager Bruce Bochy is not expected to address his future this week, but he is entering the last year of his contract and he has a new boss, so he'll be asked if this is his last year with the Giants. Don't expect an answer just yet.
We do have some answers about the new staff, though. According to The Athletic, Zaidi has hired Zack Minasian as pro scouting director and Michael Holmes as amateur scouting director. Both come highly regarded, and it's possible that other newcomers will be in the suite this week, or that Zaidi will speak with potential candidates as the whole industry is gathered in one place.