Two weeks ago, it was clear that both Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler would return for the 2024 MLB season.
Now, it’s fair to wonder if this is still true.
Giants owner Greg Johnson recently told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that both Zaidi and Kapler will return next season, but in an appearance with… KNBR 680’s “Tolbert and Kobe” Al-Zaidi himself did not confirm on Thursday that his coach would return next season.
“I mean, obviously I said that at the time [of Johnson’s comments] “I really appreciate the support from ownership and our recovery plan,” Al-Zaidi told Copeland and Tolbert. “Right now, our focus is on getting through these last few games, finishing strong, and finishing at .500. I think we all have to look at how we can improve across the board.
“These are the individuals that are on the roster, and that is our culture at the club – which I think when you are playing well, some things are culturally portrayed as, ‘Hey, this group likes to be together, they are having fun.’ But when you are not that “Okay, these things can be seen in a negative light.”
The Giants owned a wild card spot heading into the final 10-game road trip and needed to finish the season strong in order to punch their ticket to the playoffs. However, after going 2-8 on the trip, San Francisco fell out of playoff contention and was officially eliminated after Tuesday’s loss to the San Diego Padres.
The way this crucial road trip played out for the Giants and the overall feeling around the team is why Zaidi believes the organization needs to evaluate every aspect of the team this offseason.
Al-Zaidi added: “I think we have to look at everything, and there is certainly a time and place for everything.” “I’ve talked to a few people about how tough 162 games is and we want our players to feel comfortable and be able to come off some tough losses and things like that.
“But when you’re in do-or-die games like those in Arizona, you want it to feel different and I think we’re going to have to ask ourselves if we’re ready to kind of elevate our focus. And play for those games that really matter in the long run.”
Wednesday’s loss ended any hopes the Giants had of finishing the 2023 season with a winning record. With three games remaining, the Giants will look to sweep their rival Los Angeles Dodgers and finish the season with another .500 average record before getting to work on what will surely be a busy offseason.
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