Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, understands the Giants will be criticized.
He also acknowledged that most of the criticism was valid given the team’s lack of big-time superstar signings in recent years, but blamed it on The Athletic’s Tim on his podcast The TK Show.・It was something he incurred when he talked to Kawakami. Wednesday. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect him.
Zaidi opens up to Kawakami and shares honest and very personal reactions to how Kawakami deals with all the outside noise, especially during times of heightened tension like MLB free agency. did.
“I try to keep some perspective on how lucky I am to have this role and the responsibility that comes with it,” Zaidi said. “I am the son of immigrants who came to North America and my father went to college alone in London with $10 to his name in his pocket. My parents had an arranged marriage. My mother and my father When I came, my mother came with my father.” She was just 20 years old.
“And I look at the trajectory of their lives and all the hardships they’ve had. And the most difficult thing about some of the things you described is the very real Yes, and again, I try to keep perspective on it, but it’s not easy. “I don’t want my parents to be upset or worried knowing all that they’ve been through in their lives.” I’m so embarrassed that my parents are at the stage in their lives where they’re still reading this book and worrying about me.” It should be long past time to worry about me. ”
Pressure on Zaidi and others to make big moves in the offseason increased after the Giants had a shaky 79-83 season and missed the 2023 MLB playoffs.
Their biggest targets were two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani and Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to whom the Giants reportedly “dedicated their hearts and souls” before both players signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. .
Not only did San Francisco miss out on Ohtani and Yamamoto, but Zaidi, other members of the Giants organization, and Giants fans had to watch their archrival welcome the Japanese players to Los Angeles.
And this is not the first time. From Bryce Harper to Aaron Judge to Carlos Correa, Giants fans have become accustomed to offseason heartbreak.
“I love this job. I love this organization,” Zaidi said. “I’m really hard on myself. I’m a competitor. I want to be successful, not just for myself, but for everyone in this organization, everyone in San Francisco. The noise outside, I don’t feel like this. There’s nothing bad about it.” I already feel that when things aren’t going well, when I’m not successful. So I would say a lot of that feeling comes from within, which is that I have to manage. It comes with territory. This is the world we live in.
“This is a high-stakes industry, and if you don’t deliver, there are consequences. And it’s more public than ever. So when you say it has internal consequences, there are consequences.” I know that’s an exaggeration, but when you’re influencing yourself, your motivation is just the success of those around you, and it’s a little easier to try to drown out the noise and focus on what’s important. ”
Of course, the offseason isn’t over yet. And with the addition of Lee Jung-hoo, Zaidi and the Giants are aiming for a comeback in 2024, but it may not be over yet.
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