SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–It’s been one week since the San Francisco Giants finished as a runner-up in the Bryce Harper sweepstakes and the team’s roster remains unchanged.
The club didn’t have an immediate response to Harper’s decision to sign a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi indicated the Giants will remain active in both the trade and free agent markets.
“Obviously we had sincere interest (in Harper) but we’re going to be able to do things not just before the start of the season but over the next few years that having him on the roster might have made it more difficult to do,” Zaidi said during an interview with beat reporters Thursday.
A 12-year, $310 million offer from the Giants wasn’t enough to convince the six-time All-Star to spend the prime of his career playing home games at the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. Harper would have immediately provided the Giants’ lineup with an impact bat from the left side, but Zaidi said the Giants will have more flexibility over the next decade to improve their roster without a mega-deal like Harper’s on their payroll.
“With the kind of investment and duration of a guy like Harper, the ‘Plan B’ really takes place over 12 years, not just a couple of days,” Zaidi said.
Zaidi said the Giants are pleased with the depth of their pitching staff and a surplus of arms in their bullpen, yet suggested the franchise is still hoping to add another right-handed bat in the outfield. Agent Scott Boras told KNBR 680 during an interview Thursday that Zaidi has expressed interest in one of his clients, free agent outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, but Zaidi’s comments later in the day indicated the Giants are more interested in finding a right-handed bat to add to their mix.
“We’re going to have in all likelihood three left-handed hitting infielders and one or maybe two left-handed hitting outfielders,” Zaidi said. “You want to feel like you have right-handed bats coming off the bench that can either platoon, spell those guys or come in against a tough lefty late in the game.”
Five-time All-Star Adam Jones, 33, is still available on the market and is likely one of the few free agents the Giants would be willing to pursue. However, Zaidi said players who sign this late in the year have often struggled due to lack of spring repetitions.
It’s also increasingly clear the Giants aren’t interested in handing out long-term contracts to the remaining available free agents, which could be a point of contention for Jones who is expected to be pursuing multi-year offers.
“You can still bring guys in on a non-roster basis and give them at-bats on the minor league sign and evaluate them that way but it becomes harder and harder to know exactly what you’re going to get,” Zaidi said.
Zaidi said the Giants have been tracking more players in trade discussions than through free agency and while conversations have slowed since the beginning of the spring, he expects them to pick up again as Opening Day inches closer.
Chain of command
The Giants announced Monday that CEO Larry Baer is taking a leave of absence following a public altercation with his wife, Pam, that was captured on video last Friday.
Zaidi reported directly to Baer, but the chain of command has changed during Baer’s leave and Zaidi will now report to the Board of Directors representing the Giants’ ownership group.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet the board in my interview process,” Zaidi said. “We’ve had a couple of board meetings and Larry did a great job of making sure I’d had some direct contact with them and had relationships there.”
Members of the ownership group serving on the Board of Directors are not publicly known, but it is believed the board consists of four-to-six owners.
A contract requiring the financial commitment the Giants were willing to give Harper requires ownership’s approval, however Zaidi said he likely will not consult the board regarding any major decisions in the immediate future.
“We don’t necessarily have another Harper situation imminent or brewing that’s going to require real active involvement from the board,” Zaidi said. “But as decisions need to be made, we have a really strong infrastructure in place.”
