Expectations are rising that Farhan Zaidi, 48, president of the San Francisco Giants who recruited Lee Jung-hoo, will be fired. The atmosphere is unusual. 

Despite his contract with Matt Chapman on the 18th (Korea Standard Time), the San Francisco Chronicle said that Zaidi's future ahead of the lame duck in 2025 is uncertain and announced that his future has emerged as a hot potato. 메이저사이트

According to reports, the San Francisco team of owners is currently dissatisfied with the team's direction and performance, and is going through a close internal evaluation process at the end of the season. Regardless of the remaining contract period of President Zaidi, it is reported that he will make a choice that is best for the club. Perhaps due to extreme stress, Zaidi has been hospitalized twice in recent weeks. 

Earlier on the 17th, "ESPN" also said, "President Zaidi has been in charge of San Francisco baseball operations for six seasons, but the team has only made it to the postseason once. If we don't win consecutive games over the next few weeks, we are likely to fail to advance to the postseason for three consecutive years despite the payroll that exceeded the luxury tax limit," adding, "President Zaidi recently acknowledged that his contract is guaranteed until 2025, not 2026, as reported when Melvin was appointed last fall." 

At the time of Melvin's appointment in October last year, Zaidi said his contract will last until 2026. However, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle on the 11th, the contract between the two is guaranteed until 2025, and the club has a choice of whether to execute the contract in 2026. In fact, it is a two-plus-one-year contract. In the case of Zaidi, there is no security in his position next year. "USA Today Sports" also reported on the 17th that San Francisco's owner group has yet to decide whether to reappoint Zaidi in 2025, the last year of his contract, and that his future will be unstable next year. 

Zaidi, a former LA Dodgers general manager, was appointed as San Francisco president after the 2018 season. Zaidi, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, has been on a roll since he was spotted by Billie Bean, the "Moneyball" manager of the Oakland Athletics due to his data analysis capabilities, and has been on a roll since becoming the president of San Francisco following the Dodgers general manager. 

For the past five years from 2019 to last year, however, San Francisco only advanced to the postseason once. The team ranks fourth in the NL West with 73 wins and 78 losses and eighth in the wild card this year, showing despair in the fall baseball season. It beat the Dodgers to win the NL West title in 2021, but after two consecutive postseason failures, it fired Gabe Kapler, whom it appointed, and appointed Melvin. 

Last winter, he tried to recruit Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers), "the biggest fish in the FA," but when it failed, he made headlines by surprisingly recruiting Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo at a higher-than-expected price for six years and 113 million dollars. Pitchers Blake Snell (two-year, 62 million dollars), Jordan Hicks (four-year, 44 million dollars), infielder Matt Chapman (three-year, 54 million dollars), designated hitter Jorge Soler (three-year, 42 million dollars), and catcher Tom Murphy (two-year, 8.25 million dollars) as a trade and brought in pitcher Robbie Ray, who is rehabilitating from Cy Young Award, to challenge for fall baseball. 

However, Lee Jung-hoo was out for the season after undergoing surgery due to his shoulder injury after hitting the fence while playing defense in mid-May, and Snell, who was late to prepare for the season after completing his contract at the end of March, also suffered injury and sluggish performance in the first half of the season. Prospective Eliot Ramos filled the vacancy of Lee, but due to lack of balance between pitching and hitting, he moved away from the standings. Consequently, criticism against Zaidi is mounting as he made unexpected moves, such as trading Soler to the Atlanta Braves in late July. Due to frequent roster changes, there are voices of discontent within the club as well. 

Last week, he also signed a six-year, $151 million extension contract with Chapman, which is known to have been led by the owner group, not the mayor of Zaidi. According to The Athletic on the 17th, when negotiations on the extension contract began in August and there was no progress in negotiations, a group of owners belonging to Buster Posey, a former franchise catcher, came forward to sign the contract. He completed a contract that had not made progress by denying the trade to the former team. Posey, who joined the team owner group by buying a stake in the team in September 2022, is one of the members of the board of directors and has a high voice in the team's decision-making process and is often seen in the media. It can be interpreted that the role of President Zaidi has been reduced. 

If Zaidi is fired, it will have an impact on Lee Jung-hoo. Although his position will not be swayed immediately because it is a high-priced long-term contract, there is no president who can protect him if he fails to show something next year. As Zaidi's president, he could resign without even using Lee Jung-hoo, who was ambitious.

In an interview with local radio station KNBR, Zaidi said, "We continue to work with Melvin to focus on finishing the season well. We are looking forward to next year. We have had conversations about what changes are needed and what is needed. Overall, it was a disappointing season, but there were also some hopeful things that could promise next year."