Two weeks ago, it was clear that Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler would return for the 2024 MLB season.
Now you can certainly ask yourself whether that is still true.
Giants owner Greg Johnson recently told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that both Zaidi and Kapler would return next season, but during an appearance on KNBR 680’s “Tolbert & Copes” on Thursday, Zaidi himself would not confirm that Manager will return next season.
“I mean, obviously I said it then [of Johnson’s comments] “I really appreciate the support from the owners and the plan to have us both back,” Zaidi told Copeland and Tolbert. “Right now our focus is on getting through the last few games and coming out strong at .500. “I think we all just have to see how we can improve overall.
“That’s the personnel on the roster, that’s our culture in the clubhouse – and I think when you play well, certain cultural things are portrayed as, ‘Hey, this group loves being together, they’re having fun.’ But when you’re not feeling well, these things can be seen in a negative light.”
The Giants were in possession of a wild card heading into their final 10-game road trip and needed to finish the season strong to punch their ticket to the playoffs. However, after going 8-2 on the road, San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention and was officially eliminated after losing to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.
The trajectory of this crucial road trip for the Giants and the overall mood of the team is why Zaidi believes the organization needs to evaluate every aspect of the team this offseason.
“I just think we have to look at everything and there is certainly a time and a place for everything,” Zaidi added. “I’ve talked to a few people about how 162 games is tough and we want our players to feel comfortable and be able to handle some of the tough losses and things like that.”
“But when it comes to vital games like the Arizona games, we want them to feel different and I think we have to ask ourselves if we’re willing to somehow increase our concentration and play the games that were really important in the end.
Wednesday’s loss ended any hopes the Giants had of finishing the 2023 season with a winning record. With three games to go, the Giants will look to defeat the rival Los Angeles Dodgers and finish the season with another mediocre .500 record before getting to work in what is sure to be another busy offseason.
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