Farhan's Last Stand

If you gave Farhan Zaidi a big spoonful of truth serum, I think he’d admit this isn’t the offseason he wanted to have. This is the offseason fans wanted to have.

A winter full of big-name signings to fill big-time roles on a big-market team that’s felt small-time for a few too many years.

Sure, I think Farhan is happy to have Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jung Hoo Lee, and Jordan Hicks on his roster.

But I strongly believe he would have rather continued his strategy of incremental roster tinkering rather than this winter’s get-rich-quick approach.

The risks of each deal are significant. Snell and Chapman might be in San Francisco for one year, but cost the Giants their second- and third-round draft picks, plus $1 million of international bonus pool money. Soler should be a full-time DH for the next three years, a surprising investment for a team that felt stuck with Joc Pederson last season. Lee has never played in the majors and stunned the industry by landing a $100 million contract. Hicks is trying to convert from late-inning reliever to starter, having last thrown 100 innings when he was in Single A in 2017.

So, what changed? Why take all these risks now?

These moves were about abandoning Farhan’s personal philosophies in favor of job-saving philosophies.

I don’t think Farhan would have survived a 90-loss season, which seemed like a real possibility as pitching injuries started piling up … in February. The much-hyped returns of Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray wouldn’t have meant much if the team was already buried in the standings.

Instead, Farhan spent and spent and spent some more, giving into the pleas for a roster with more star power and everyday players. Will it work? If you’re Farhan, it almost doesn’t matter. He did what fans asked for—and more likely what ownership asked for—and it’s possible we’re in for an “I Told You So” kind of season. Even if it costs him his job.

In the meantime, I’m ready to be entertained by the Giants’ most interesting roster in years. Not a Connor Joe or Michael Gerber to be found.