Farhan Zaidi's biggest gaffe with SF Giants unloads on team in interview

One could be forgiven for forgetting about SF Giants catcher Tom Murphy. He has not played in a game with the Giants since May of 2024 and he recently unloaded on the Giants in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

The piece is well worth a read as Murphy described his time in San Francisco as an "absolute nightmare" and accuses the team of malpractice. We would do well to remember that signing Murphy was arguably the worst move former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi made with the team.

SF Giants catcher Tom Murphy was biggest gaffe of Farhan Zaidi era

The rationale for signing Murphy to a two-year $8.25 million contract ahead of the 2024 season made enough sense at the time. He was a proven veteran catcher who had some pop in his bat and seemed like he could be a nice complement to Patrick Bailey behind the plate.

We never got to see if that rationale was borne out because Murphy only played in 13 games with the Giants before going down with a knee injury and missing the rest of the 2024 season. He only had four hits in 34 at-bats with the Giants.

Coming into spring training this season he seemed like the favorite for the backup catcher spot, but he had a herniated disk in his back which has prevented him from appearing at all for San Francisco this season and led to an open competition at backup catcher.

San Francisco has struggled to find a suitable backup to Bailey all season. With how badly Bailey has struggled at the plate for much of the year, it would have been nice to have an offense-first catcher which is why the Giants have already been connected to potential upgrades at catcher.

The Giants may be hoping that recent trade deadline acquisition Jesus Rodriguez is the right backup option for 2026, but given their recent record with backup catchers we will have to reserve judgment on that plan until we see whether it is effective.

The fact remains that the Giants signing Murphy signaled it was the end of Joey Bart's time with San Francisco. Bart went on to have a very good year with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 but has followed it up with a far less impressive 2025 campaign.

It was probably Bart's time to go as he needed a change of scenery, but given the catcher situation for the Giants right now it is hard not to at least ponder a world in which the Giants kept Bart and he and Bailey formed a solid duo behind the plate.

Nonetheless, it is understandable that Murphy is frustrated with his time in the Giants organization. It seems a bit extreme to accuse the organization of malpractice, but he has a right to voice his frustrations.

His signing will forever be a reminder of the gaffe Zaidi made and will definitely leave some interesting "what if" questions as to how the Giants' catcher situation could have played out differently had they not signed him.

More from Around the Foghorn: