Posey's trade for Devers completely dunked on Farhan Zaidi's SF Giants tenure

When Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations for the SF Giants, some thought he would just provide a more palatable face while continuing the same practices of his predecessor Farhan Zaidi. The Rafael Devers trade proves that was completely wrong.

In landing Devers via the blockbuster trade that sent Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs III, and Jose Bello to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for the left-handed slugger, Posey accomplished the thing that Zaidi was never able to do during his time with the Giants.

Posey's SF Giants blockbuster trade for Devers truly separates him from Farhan Zaidi

To be fair to Zaidi, it was not for a lack of trying. The Giants were involved in free agent talks for massive stars like Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, and Shohei Ohtani during Zaidi's tenure. Yet, for one reason or another the Giants were never able to land that big fish.

Zaidi did positive things with the Giants. We know he had a penchant for finding diamonds in the rough out of the bargain bin, AKA waiver wire, and he did help assemble the team that won 107 games back in 2021.

Yet, the middling baseball the team played from 2022 to 2024 is what led to a change, and Buster has made it clear he is handling things differently. Signing shortstop Willy Adames to the largest contract in franchise history during the offseason was a signal that things were changing, but there was still a sense that ownership had imposed some financial restraints (i.e. do not go over the luxury tax threshold) on Posey and the front office.

The trade for Devers shows that Posey was able to convince the rest of ownership, as he still does have an ownership stake in the team, that Devers was a key piece missing from the team. Devers may not be an instantly recognizable name like Judge or Ohtani, but he is one of the best hitters in the game and his presence makes the team's lineup look much more formidable.

Zaidi is back with the Los Angeles Dodgers after failing to turn the Giants into a consistent threat to Los Angeles outside of the miracle 2021 season. One can only wonder what he must be thinking after Posey pulled off this huge move.

Obviously, we do not know how this deal will turn out. Trades can always blow up in your face, but if Devers helps power the Giants to the playoffs and maybe even helps them take the NL West crown away from the Dodgers, it will be the ultimate proof that Buster's boldness paid off while Zaidi's caution and reluctance to trade prospects may have held the team back.