Farhan Zaidi, who masterminded the San Francisco Giants’ turnaround from a sub-.500 team to the best team in the 2021 record season, was selected Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year on Monday.
Thanks in large part to moves made by Zaidi, whose title is president of baseball operations, the Giants went 107-55, setting a franchise single-season record for wins. San Francisco had finished 29-31 in the abbreviated 2020 season.
The Giants posted the third-best win total by a National League team since the majors went to divisional play in 1969.
Zaidi largely rebuilt the team’s pitching staff for 2021, bringing in Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Jake McGee, Dominic Leone and Zack Littell. He added infielder Tommy La Stella and utility man LaMonte Wade Jr., then made two key trade-deadline acquisitions: third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant and left-hander Tony Watson.
The Giants ended up winning the National League West title by one game over the heavily favored Dodgers, but Los Angeles won the NL wild-card game and then edged San Francisco in a five-game NL Division Series.
Zaidi has run the Giants’ front office for three seasons. The 44-year-old Canadian got his start in baseball with the Oakland A’s, then served as the Dodgers’ assistant general manager from November 2014 to November 2018.
The Executive of the Year was selected in balloting of the teams, which each received one vote when the regular season ended. The 2019 winner, Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operatons Erik Neander, was the runner-up, and Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns placed third in the voting.
–Field Level Media