Zaidi explains what the Giants’ roster changes mean for young players originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi wasn’t on the trip, but when the team plane arrived back in San Francisco on Sunday night, Zaidi went to the stadium to make sure he could see a player. personally.
He wanted to team up with manager Bob Melvin to inform Austin Slater that he was being traded to the Cincinnati Reds, and two days later, the organization’s leaders had to notify another veteran that he would no longer wear orange and black. In the negotiation of Slater and designating Nick Ahmed for assignmentthe Giants have changed a roster that has played better in recent weeks, but is still three games below .500.
The moves were in part due to Slater and Ahmed’s struggles at the plate, but Zaidi said it was also time to open up additional at-bats for young players. The Giants are hoping for not just more production, but also a surge of energy and athleticism.
Luis Matos will have Slater hitting against left-handed pitching and should have additional opportunities against righties. Tyler Fitzgerald was the shortstop on Tuesday with lefty on the other side and will split time at the position with Brett Wisely. Both Fitzgerald and Wisely can play other positions as well.
“We talked a lot about wanting to give some of our young players opportunities and add athleticism to the roster and one of the best ways to do that is to have young guys step up and earn roles,” Zaidi said. “It’s really just a vote of confidence in these guys. Matos and Fitz, in particular, are guys who have been back and forth between here and Sacramento a bit.
“We hope this is an opportunity for them to feel like they don’t have to look over their shoulders and continue many of the positive things we’ve seen from them.”
Fitzgerald entered home soil with a .724 OPS and Matos was at .604. Both Slater and Ahmed were under .600 and each hit just one home run. Matos should bring some more power to the lineup, while Fitzgerald adds speed to a group that ranks last in the majors in stolen bases.
The Giants had Fitzerald, Matos, Wisely, Heliot Ramos and Patrick Bailey on Tuesday night in a young lineup. It won’t be like this every night, but he’s hopeful that this will be his path in the second half. Making plays now also allows them to take a closer look at some young players before the July 30 trade deadline.
The Giants currently don’t appear to be particularly active. Zaidi is happy with his group, and the biggest weakness of the last few months – the starting pitching – should soon be addressed by the veterans coming off the IL.
He made an early trade, though, sending Slater to the Reds for left-handed reliever Alex Young, who could help a tired bullpen at some point. Slater was the longest-tenured Giant, a title that now belongs to Mike Yastrzemski, who called the trade “a little shocking.”
The Giants believe better days are ahead for the outfield, although they will miss Slater in the clubhouse. As a union representative, he helped them navigate not only the short coronavirus season, but also the lockdown. Yastrzemski called it “very selfless,” noting that Slater spent hours a day calling the union and then relaying information to teammates.
Melvin said delivering the news Sunday night was “difficult.” He had a lot of respect for Slater and Zaidi felt the same.
“He’s a consummate professional in terms of a guy who had a pretty specialized role with us and did it very well,” Zaidi said. “He was one of the best in baseball, I think, in the role he played for us. All these guys at this level want to be everyday players and want a chance to prove themselves and I hope he gets that chance in Cincinnati.
“He always told us he wanted more opportunities to play every day, but he also understood his role and did it very well and didn’t see it as a negative. consummate professional.”
