SF Giants seem to be turning away from key Farhan Zaidi philosophy in 2025

When Farhan Zaidi was president of baseball operations for the SF Giants, it was no secret that he pursued players who offered a lot of positional versatility. It seems like under Buster Posey the Giants may be moving away from that philosophy.

Zaidi made a habit of acquiring players who could play multiple positions. Names like Mauricio Dubon, the recently traded Blake Sabol, and Tyler Fitzgerald spring to mind as players who were used in a variety of different spots under the Zaidi regime.

SF Giants may rely less on versatility in 2025

Dubon saw time up the middle in the infield, playing a lot of second base and shortstop for the team but he also saw a lot of time in center field. Sabol was used as both a catcher and as a corner outfielder. Fitzgerald has seen time in both the infield and outfield although he was primarily the team's shortstop last season thanks to his hot streak at the plate.

This philosophy made sense given the matchup-heavy approach Zaidi employed. With vastly different lineups based on whether the team was facing a left-handed or right-handed starter, it helped having players who could play in multiple spots and could be moved around easily or be used as substitutes late in games. This strategy worked to great effect in 2021 when the Giants won 107 games.

However, this strategy may have proven to be unsustainable given the defensive woes the Giants had the past few seasons. The Giants ranked 17th in team fielding percentage in 2024 which was an improvement upon 2023 when they finished dead last in fielding percentage. There are likely a number of factors for this, but part of it may have had to do with guys playing in positions they were not fully comfortable with.

2025 figures to be a little bit different for the Giants because they have a number of positions where you can pretty confidently predict who will be the starter there to begin the season barring injury. At this point we can pretty confidently assert that Patrick Bailey will be the catcher, Matt Chapman will be the third baseman, Willy Adames the shortstop, Heliot Ramos the left fielder, and Jung Hoo Lee the center fielder.

Those ones can be pretty safely taken to the bank, and beyond them there will probably not be a ton of guys playing out of position. Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade Jr. are both pretty much limited to first base at this point of their careers and Mike Yastrzemski has proven himself to be a very solid defensive right fielder. Fitzgerald figures to see the bulk of the time at second base which is where he is probably best suited after struggling at times at shortstop in 2024.

Obviously, things can change throughout the year. Players can get hurt or see less playing time if they are struggling, but the fact that the Giants have a pretty strong sense of who will play what positions bodes well for 2025. Versatility can be an asset, but the Giants need to be a sound defensive team if they want to contend. Having players be comfortable with the position they are at and not asking them to move around the diamond a ton should make for more consistent play on defense.

There could still be potential for Fitzgerald to move around a good amount depending on how he hits at the plate. But it would be wise to have him focus on one spot and get comfortable there especially if he is hitting well.

Fans complained at times that under Zaidi there was too much roster churn and lineup fluctuation, but 2025 should have less of that. Lineups should be more consistent and as of right now there may only be potential platoons at first base and right field. We will see how this approach works out, but on paper it should lead to more sound defense by limiting guys from having to play all over the diamond.