The Giants didn’t wait until the bitter end of a disappointing season to make big changes, announcing Friday that manager Gabe Kapler has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately.
Giants president Farhan Zaidi said in a news release that he recommended the manager-to-owner transition and received approval to fire Kapler, who was a near-unanimous 2021 National League Manager of the Year when he led the Giants led to a franchise record season with 107 wins. Kapler still had one more year left on the three-year extension he signed after that record-breaking season.
But someone had to answer for the Giants’ second-half collapse, including an 8-16 record in September that knocked them out of a wild-card spot that seemed all but certain in early August. The collapse eclipsed one of the Philadelphia Phillies’ two disappointing September finishes under Kapler in the 2018-19 season, which ultimately cost him his job there. He was released for the second time even though his contract still had a year left to run.
It’s the first time a Giants manager has been relieved of his duties since 1985, despite still having something left in his contract, when Roger Craig replaced Jim Davenport with 18 games left. The stability of the franchise – from Craig to Dusty Baker to Felipe Alou to Bruce Bochy – has been an impressive difference, as the Giants insulate themselves from much of the volatility that typically comes with the managerial role.
But respected players like Logan Webb and Mike Yastrzemski continued to question the clubhouse’s lack of accountability, which Kapler may not have been able to address given his lax leadership style. When the team held a series of meetings in late August, Kapler was not among those speaking in the room.
As Webb said last Monday, “We need to make some big changes here to create that winning culture.” We want to be there every year and try to win the whole thing. … To be honest, I’m just tired of losing.”
When Kapler was fired in Philadelphia, owner John Middleton made the decision, going over the head of then-GM Matt Klentak. Kapler was unemployed for barely a month. Zaidi invested a lot of personal capital to bring Kapler on board, who was no longer considered a popular successor to Bochy after the 2019 season. The two had worked with the Los Angeles Dodgers as GM and farm director.
But it’s clear that Kapler and Zaidi weren’t a package deal.
“After making this recommendation to the owners and receiving their approval, I met with Gabe today to inform him of our decision,” Zaidi said. “In his tenure as Giants manager, Gabe led our team through an unprecedented pandemic in 2020 and a franchise-record 107 wins and postseason berths in 2021. He was dedicated and passionate in his efforts to support the Sans’ performance on the season To improve the playing field.” Francisco Giants and I have great respect for him as a colleague and friend. On behalf of the Giants organization, we wish Gabe the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions over the past four years.”
The Giants did not immediately announce an interim manager. Third base coach Mark Hallberg and bench coach Kai Correa appear to be the leading candidates. As for a permanent successor, that will be difficult as it remains to be seen whether Zaidi, whose contract expires at the end of 2024, will extend ownership. It’s likely that Padres manager Bob Melvin will be a strong consideration if he is relieved of his duties in San Diego.
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