Category: Baseball

Who did Red Sox get in Devers deal? Get to know all four players originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox made one of the most shocking moves in franchise history on Sunday, sending veteran slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster trade.

The deal has rightfully been criticized for its poor timing and lackluster return. Just hours after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, Boston traded Devers for right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs III, and minor-league righty Jose Bello.

While the Red Sox dumped the $254 remaining on Devers’ contract, that’s still an underwhelming haul for one of the best hitters in baseball. These lopsided trades are becoming a trend in Boston as the infamous 2020 Mookie Betts deal remains fresh in fans’ minds.

Regardless, the Red Sox have four new players in the organization as a result of the move, and a couple of them boast undeniable upside. Here’s a breakdown of what each bring to the table:

Jordan Hicks, RHP

Hicks has been one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball since entering the league with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018. The 28-year-old routinely threw his fastball in the 103-105 mph range early in his career, though he averages roughly 97 mph these days.

After spending his first seven MLB seasons as a reliever, Hicks joined the Giants’ starting rotation before the 2024 season. The experiment didn’t really work out, as Hicks compiled a 4.83 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 42 appearances (29 starts) over his one-and-a-half seasons in San Francisco.

Jordan Hicks, 3Ks in the 3rd.

6Ks thru 3. pic.twitter.com/nzAK7bdueo

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 3, 2025

This season has been Hicks’ worst yet. The Houston native has a 6.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 13 outings (nine starts). The Giants moved him back into the bullpen in May.

Hicks is currently on the 15-day injured list with toe inflammation and is expected to return later this month.

Kyle Harrison, LHP

Harrison is the biggest piece of this deal for Boston. The 23-year-old southpaw has tremendous upside as he entered the 2024 season as the No. 1 left-handed pitching prospect in the sport.

Kyle Harrison (MLB's No. 1 LHP prospect) racked up 6 strikeouts in just 2 2/3 IP for the @SFGiants before rain cut his night short: pic.twitter.com/TGUL8zsF3o

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 8, 2024

So far in his big-league career, Harrison’s results have been mixed. He posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 118 strikeouts and 42 walks in 24 starts last year, his first full season in the majors. In eight appearances (four starts) this season, Harrison has a 4.56 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and nine walks.

Harrison’s biggest improvement since last year has been his fastball velocity. He averaged 92.5 mph with batters hitting .249 against his fastball in 2024. This season, the pitch has averaged 95.1 mph with a BAA of .175.

The Red Sox optioned Harrison to Triple-A Worcester following the trade, but it shouldn’t be long before we see him take the mound for Boston.

James Tibbs III, OF

The Giants took Tibbs with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, one pick after the Red Sox selected fellow outfielder Braden Montgomery, whom they shipped to the Chicago White Sox in their offseason deal for left-hander Garrett Crochet.

Tibbs was the No. 3 ranked prospect in San Francisco’s organization, per Baseball America. MLB Pipeline ranks him sixth among Red Sox prospects — fourth if you don’t count big-leaguers Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.

New Red Sox prospect James Tibbs III:

🔵 Drafted No. 13 overall in 2024
🔵 Won 2024 ACC Player of the Year at Florida State
🔵 Hit 55 homers in 3 seasons for the Seminoles

(🎥: @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/MoDCWw9aq4

— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2025

The 22-year-old hit .246 with 12 homers, 32 RBI, 42 walks and 45 strikeouts in 57 games for High-A Eugene this season. He hit 55 homers in three seasons at Florida State.

Tibbs will report to Double-A Portland.

Jose Bello, RHP

The Giants signed Bello as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. The 20-year-old righty recorded a 2.00 ERA across eight rookie-ball appearances (18 innings) this season, striking out 28 batters and walking three.

Those numbers are impressive, but with such a small sample size, it’s impossible to tell what kind of upside Bello brings to the organization.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Braves a three-game series in Atlanta starting on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. on SNY.

---

5 things to watch

Can David Peterson and Clay Holmes stabilize the rotation?

Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning turned in their two worst starts of the season in back-to-back days as the Mets got swept at home by the Rays.

That those performances came on the heels of Kodai Senga's hamstring injury gave some people the ability to spew sky-is-falling fodder about the state of the Mets' rotation and how ominous things are. But the fact of the matter is that the Mets will be fine.

Sean Manaea is expected to be back in a few weeks (after two or three more rehab starts), and Senga's injury isn't serious (he's still throwing and could be back in less than a month).

And while Megill might not be long for the rotation once the Mets get healthy and Canning might wind up being simply a solid back end starter, it's fair to expect both of them to do much better their next time out.

Still, the Mets are in what should be a brief period of rotation uncertainty. And they need Peterson (starting on Tuesday) and Holmes (getting the ball on Thursday) to help stabilize things.

Pitching between Peterson and Holmes, in what could be another one-start cameo, is Paul Blackburn.

Mets' offense is facing a tall task

The Braves enter this series with a 31-39 record, mostly because their offense hasn't been what they expected it to be.

But Atlanta's run differential (+12) suggests they're much better than their record. And one of the main reasons why they're dangerous is their starting rotation.

The Mets will face Spencer Schwellenbach (3.11 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) on Tuesday.

They'll go up against Chris Sale (2.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 107 strikeouts) on Wednesday.

Bryce Elder gets the start in the series finale. And while he hasn't had the best season and was roughed up against the Rockies during his last start, he has the ability to dominate -- as evidenced by the eight innings of one-run ball he threw against the Giants on June 7.

New York's top relievers are rested and ready

Because of how poorly the Mets' series against the Rays went over the weekend, all of their top relievers are extra rested.

Edwin Diazhasn't pitched since last Thursday.

Reed Garrett hasn't pitched since last Tuesday.

Huascar Brazoban hasn't pitched since last Thursday.

Jose Butto will have pitched just twice in the last 10 days when the Braves series begins.

So as the Mets navigate the aforementioned rotation uncertainty, they should be able to rely heavily on their top relievers.

How is Brett Baty doing?

Baty left Sunday's game early due to right groin tightness.

He isn't currently scheduled to undergo further testing, and more should be known about his availability before the game on Tuesday.

If Baty is unable to play, it could open the door for more playing time for Ronny Mauricio, who homered on Saturday and went 1-for-2 on Sunday after replacing Baty in the seventh inning.

Baty has been scuffling at the plate lately, but did smack a homer on Saturday.

Braves are in a perilous spot

Atlanta enters this series 13.0 games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East and 8.0 games behind the Padres for the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL.

With the trade deadline in roughly six weeks, the Braves probably have about a month or so to show they shouldn't be sellers.

They are oozing with talent up and down the roster, so it seems like just a matter of time before they start playing with more consistency.

The big question, though, is whether what the Braves do over the next chunk of games will be enough to propel them into the playoff race.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Soto continued to see the ball really well while not having an eye-opening series against the Rays. He reached base five times in 16 plate appearances, and some of his outs (including a screaming line drive to the warning track in right field on Friday) were absolute bullets.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Clay Holmes

Holmes was pulled after just 5.0 innings on Friday due to feeling a bit fatigued following his prior start in Colorado. He should be back to full strength for this one.

Which Braves player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Matt Olson

Olson has been heating up, reaching base safely in 17 consecutive games.

Jett Williams had a huge week for Double-A Binghamton, and the Mets’ top prospect has earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors for his hard work.

Williams, 21, slashed .385/.467/.962 with two home runs, three doubles, and two triples for the Rumble Ponies, raising his batting average from .282 to .296 in the process.

Williams, who came into the season ranked by Joe DeMayo as the Mets’ top position player prospect (No 2 overall, trailing only RHP Brandon Sproat), now has a .926 OPS overall in 55 games this season, blasting six home runs to go along with 24 RBI, 38 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts.

Selected with the No. 14 overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, Williams has steadily risen through the Mets' system, with a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse likely at some point this season. And if he has another week like the one he just registered, that trip to Syracuse could be coming sooner rather than later.

Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A's rookie Clarke makes MLB history with another defensive gem originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Denzel Clarke made remarkable MLB history on Monday.

The Athletics rookie center fielder earned his third consecutive Electric Play of the Week nod, becoming the first MLB player ever to take home the honor — which was started in 2019 — three times in a row. 

Here are all three show-stopping plays that Clarke made over the past three weeks.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS 🤯

DENZEL CLARKE, TAKE A BOW 👏 pic.twitter.com/E3YbI7wdjq

— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2025

“He continues to blow our mind,” Athletics pitcher Grant Holman said about Clark following their team’s June 9 game against the Los Angeles Angels. “He’s unbelievable out there, and it’s a really good feeling as a pitcher to know you’ve got a guy in centerfield who’s going to track everything down and even if you give up a homer, he’s going to bring it back.”

Selected No. 127 overall by the Athletics in the 2021 MLB Draft, Clarke has had quite the entertaining 21 games to start his big-league career. 

According to Statcast, he already is eighth in outs above average with eight, and according to FanGraphs, 22nd in defensive runs saved over 160-plus innings with seven. Oh, yeah, his sprint speed ranks in the 96th percentile.

It’s worth noting that Clarke is slashing .209/.232/.284 with 14 hits, three RBI and one home run thus far. While not the greatest start to a big-league career, Clark’s electric defensive capabilities have kept him in A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s lineup.

“That’s about as far over a fence as you can get without going over and making a play,” Kotsay told reporters about Clarke’s June 9 catch in Anaheim. “We talk a little bit about, you know, his range and the package is instinct; it’s reaction and it’s speed, and he’s got them all.“

Giancarlo Stanton is set to make his debut for the Yankees Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels, league sources say.

Stanton has been out since spring training with tendinitis in both elbows. He had three hits in 11 at-bats last week on a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset.

On Sunday, as the Red Sox stifled the Yankee offense for a third consecutive day at Fenway Park, Stanton faced simulated versions of Angels pitchers on the high-speed Trajekt machine.

Now, manager Aaron Boone must find regular playing time for Stanton, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt -- essentially three players for two spots. Stanton will DH, while the other two can play both first base and DH. Rice can catch, but he can’t take too many starts away from backup catcher J.C. Escarra, who also must remain fresh.

Stanton is 71 home runs from 500.

Why MLB exec thinks Red Sox ‘did well' in Devers trade with Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The consensus in the media and especially among the fanbase is that the Boston Red Sox did not do a good job in the Rafael Devers trade with the San Francisco Giants.

The deal, which was announced Sunday, was stunning. The Red Sox had just completed an impressive sweep of the rival New York Yankees at Fenway Park. For the first time all season, the Red Sox had built some real positive momentum.

And then, just like that, the face of the franchise was gone. And the group of players Boston received in return for an All-Star caliber player in Devers looks, at least on paper, to be underwhelming.

The #RedSox today traded 3B/DH Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, in exchange for LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, minor league OF James Tibbs III, and minor league RHP Jose Bello.

Harrison has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester.

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 16, 2025

But not everyone views the trade that way.

MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand spoke to several executives across the league to get their opinions on the trade. One National League executive actually thinks the Red Sox “did well” in the deal.

“They definitely got some good players with upside, so when you combine those guys with whatever they get with the repurposed Devers money, I think the Red Sox did well,” an NL executive told Feinsand.

“But far more important than the player return is the fact that they were able to move Devers and all of his money. They just signed him, so to have changed their mind on that kind of commitment so quickly really means that they felt they had to move him, which is a really difficult spot to be in. They moved quickly, kept it quiet, and pulled it off.”

An anonymous American League exec also thought the Red Sox did OK based on the situation.

“It’s a pretty good return considering that Boston didn’t have many options,” an AL executive told Feinsand. “I think there was a path to get him to first base — maybe in 2026 — but that would have required some serious diplomacy on [chief baseball officer Craig] Breslow’s part. And in the meantime, they had nowhere to go with [DH Masataka] Yoshida. I was surprised they got real talent back while moving all of that money.”

If any of the four players the Red Sox acquired from the Giants makes a positive impact in Boston, that would obviously make the deal look a lot better. But this trade will ultimately be judged on how the Red Sox upgrade their roster with the money they saved by getting rid of Devers’ contract. His deal had eight years and about $254 million remaining, and that’s a significant amount of money.

For example, if the Red Sox use this money to acquire a starting pitcher who can be an ace alongside Garrett Crochet, then the deal will look a lot different. But it’s up to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to find the most effective way of using the team’s new financial flexibility.

Devers leads Giants in first All-Star voting return before debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Rafael Devers has yet to make his Giants debut, and the left-handed slugger already leads the team in the 2025 All-Star Game fan voting.

Yes, you read that right.

A day after the 28-year-old’s shocking blockbuster trade from the Boston Red Sox to San Francisco, MLB released the first All-Star return, with Devers amassing 796,382 votes. 

The Giant who has the most All-Star votes after the first round: pic.twitter.com/m5Nub0ekBa

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 16, 2025

That makes Devers the Giants player with the most votes and a distant second to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani in the designated hitters category. 

Third baseman Matt Chapman, per the figures released on Monday, is the Giants player with the second most number of votes, tallying 183,223.

Voting leaders through the first MLB All Star ballot update! pic.twitter.com/TJH7MOU5MK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2025

Devers, in 73 games with Boston this season, batted .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs, 58 RBI and 56 walks in 334 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Devers has yet to make a single play appearance for San Francisco, and his All-Star pedigree is already speaking for itself.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

What's next for Red Sox after Devers deal? Making sense of Breslow's bold move originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With some Boston Red Sox fans only starting to recover from the infamous Mookie Betts trade, the club made another one of the most controversial moves in the franchise’s history.

On Sunday, fresh off an uplifting three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, the Red Sox traded veteran slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs, and minor-league righty Jose Bello. The deal’s bizarre timing left many, including former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, thinking the reports of Devers’ departure had to be fake.

They weren’t.

The Red Sox killed any momentum from sweeping the Yankees and winning eight of their last 10 games. They shipped Devers to San Francisco for an underwhelming return, and though they shed the $254 million remaining on his contract, they reminded their frustrated fan base that pinching pennies takes precedence over assembling a winning ballclub.

Before we turn the page, it’s important to explain how we got here. Boston’s offseason signing of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman led to the club asking Devers to move from third to designated hitter. Devers, who led all American League third basemen in errors for seven straight seasons, scoffed at the idea but ultimately acquiesced and became one of the league’s most productive DHs.

When Triston Casas went down with a season-ending knee injury in May, the Red Sox asked Devers to dig his glove out of his locker and take over at first base. Devers declined and publicly called out chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, prompting Breslow and team owner John Henry to fly to Kansas City for a face-to-face meeting with the disgruntled slugger..

Breslow and manager Alex Cora described the meeting as “productive,” but Devers still never showed a willingness to play first. According to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox felt that Devers’ $313.5 million contract “comes with responsibilities to do what is right for the team, and that Devers did not live up to those responsibilities.”

That may be true, but it doesn’t excuse the club’s poor handling of one of its biggest stars.

While Devers should have put his anger aside and put on a first baseman’s mitt, poor communication from Breslow and Co. doomed the relationship from the start. Devers took reps at third base in spring training, and Bregman was signed with the expectation that he’d shift to second base. Instead, Bregman immediately took over at third, blindsiding the club’s longest-tenured player.

In a vacuum, there’s a valid argument for trading a stubborn $300 million DH. But the timing of the move was inexcusable. Not only did Breslow’s bold decision destroy the good vibes surrounding a team that finally found its stride, it also exposed the short-sightedness of a front office with a fragile ego. It’s fair to assume the Red Sox would have gotten much more in return for Devers had they waited for a bidding war around the MLB trade deadline.

Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw has hilarious reaction to Giants’ Rafael Devers trade

We could go on about why Breslow and the Red Sox deserve all the criticism they’re getting, and will continue to get for the foreseeable future. But what’s done is done, and it’s time to figure out what’s next for a franchise that can’t seem to get out of its own way.

Five years from now, the Devers deal won’t be judged solely by the lackluster return of Hicks, Harrison, Tibbs, and Bello. Instead, it will be evaluated by how the front office utilizes the $254 million freed up by dumping Devers’ contract. Big names expected to hit the free-agent market next winter include Kyle Tucker, Pete Alonso, Dylan Cease, and Zac Gallen. Of course, recent history suggests the Red Sox won’t be willing to outbid other big-market teams for players of that caliber.

Bregman’s uncertain future in Boston also becomes an even more pressing issue. His three-year, $120 million contract includes an opt-out after each of the first two seasons. Locking up the two-time World Series champion long-term should be a priority.

Devers’ absence also opens the door for Masataka Yoshida’s return from the injured list. Yoshida had offseason shoulder surgery that has prevented him from throwing, but he can now return to his DH role. He slashed .280/.349/.415 with 10 homers and 56 RBI in 108 games as the Red Sox DH last season.

In all likelihood, Devers won’t be the only notable Red Sox player moved this season. The club is considerably worse without his bat in the lineup, meaning it could get ugly over the next month heading into the trade deadline. Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Walker Buehler, and Aroldis Chapman are among their most valuable trade chips if they decide to sell, and they could be on the trade block even if the team remains in contention.

It’s impossible to predict where Boston goes from here, because whether it’s Breslow or Chaim Bloom leading the charge, the organization has no real sense of direction. One of the league’s richest clubs remains obsessed with financial flexibility despite consistently failing to put those funds to good use.

Nonetheless, the Red Sox will look to ignore the noise and pick up where they left off when they begin their three-game series in Seattle on Monday. They’re now 6.5 games back in the AL East with a 37-36 record and only a half-game out of a playoff spot, making the timing of the Devers deal even more confounding.

After the Mariners series, Boston will head to San Francisco for a must-watch series against Devers and the Giants starting on Friday.

Breslow and Red Sox CEO/president Sam Kennedy will address the media via Zoom before Monday’s game at 8 p.m. ET.

A's rookie Wilson leads AL shortstops in first All-Star voting return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jacob Wilson’s incredible Athletics rookie campaign keeps getting better. 

After taking home AL Rookie of the Month for May, the 23-year-old led AL shortstops with 562,696 All-Star votes after MLB released the first return on Monday afternoon.

A’s in MLB All-Star Game voting:
– Jacob Wilson 1st among AL shortstops
– Brent Rooker 7th among DHs
– Tyler Soderstrom 14th among outfielders pic.twitter.com/tVPQojuhxn

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) June 16, 2025

Wilson is followed by Bobby Witt Jr. (519,984), Jeremy Peña (341,515), Bo Bichette (316,538), Anthony Volpe (201,891), Zach Neto (190,527), Gunnar Henderson (157, 389), Trey Sweeney (150,787), J.P. Crawford (142,123) and Corey Seager (129,579).

Despite the A’s holding a 29-44 record, it’s unsurprising to see true baseball fans give Wilson his flowers during the 2025 MLB season. 

Wilson has the game’s second-best batting average at .367, behind Aaron Judge’s .378, and is carrying a .915 OPS with 98 hits, 38 RBI and eight home runs. A staple in manager Mark Kotsay’s lineup, Wilson also has played 67 of a possible 73 games in 2025.

The A’s selected Wilson, the son of former MLB All-Star shortstop Jack Wilson, No. 6 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, and he’s quickly ascended into one of the game’s brightest young stars and everyday starters.

Wilson is primed to be the AL’s starting shortstop in the 2025 All-Star Game on July 15 in Atlanta. But he isn’t the only Athletic to show up on the league’s first All-Star voting return.

Brent Rooker sits at seventh among designated hitters and Tyler Soderstrom 14th among outfielders. Rooker is slashing .278/.350/.497 with 80 hits, 41 RBI and 15 homers, and Soderstrom .254/.343/.459 with 68 hits, 45 RBI and 14 homers.

If nothing, the A’s have a solid trio of bats who potentially can help the franchise claw back into the MLB playoff race.

Ex-Giants exec Zaidi has great response to ‘Dodgers plant' fan theory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s never easy switching sides in one of sports history’s greatest rivalries, but former Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi now has done so twice between his various roles with San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Zaidi’s seven seasons as the Giants’ top executive were sandwiched between a role as Dodgers general manager from 2014 to 2018 and now serving as a special advisor in Los Angeles — and he recently addressed the popular, albeit silly, fan theory that he simply was spying on San Francisco during his time in the Bay in a Q&A with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser.

“[Given] your Dodgers-Giants-Dodgers trajectory, I’m sure you’ve heard this fan theory that you were a Dodgers plant all along,” Slusser asked Zaidi this weekend as his current team played his former. “What’s your response when you hear things like that?”

“I have definitely heard that,” Zaidi told Slusser. “I know this whole thing is like, ‘Yeah, he really just came to sabotage the team and leave it in a mess.’ And if that’s true, if you look at the standings, I guess I did a pretty bad job of sabotaging.”

The Giants, who feature plenty of players on their roster brought to San Francisco by Zaidi, currently trail the Dodgers by just two games in the NL West standings despite losing two out of three in their series over the weekend. Now led by legendary Giants catcher Buster Posey as POBO, however, the team is right in the thick of the MLB playoff race at 41-31 after three consecutive seasons of .500-or-lower baseball.

But before that, Zaidi’s regime with then-manager Gabe Kapler at the helm produced the winningest team in franchise history with the 107-win squad in 2021, which fell to — ironically enough — the Dodgers that postseason in the NLDS.

So, it certainly is safe to say Zaidi wasn’t doing a great job of ruining the Giants during his tenure. And as the Dodgers put together a super team in Southern California, it wasn’t difficult for fans to compare San Francisco’s struggles in recent years to its biggest rival.

Now, as the race between the Giants and Dodgers is the tightest it has been in years, Zaidi is focused on giving his new job his all, too — and it’s quite a different role than he’s used to.

“I joked a lot when I first got to the organization that it’s kind of like when you’re a kid and you get taken to a really expensive department store and your parents are like, ‘Don’t touch anything. Don’t break anything,’ ” Zaidi told Slusser. “That’s kind of how I felt, because it’s been a really successful team and organization since I left. They certainly don’t need me, don’t need my thoughts or advice, they’ve clearly demonstrated that with the recent run of success. …

“I’m not really involved in the day-to-day. I’m just kind of around to advise, to serve as a sounding board. One of the things that I’ve really enjoyed being back is, when you’re in a leadership management role, sometimes it’s just putting out fires constantly, you don’t always have time to sit with a scout or an analyst or someone in player development and really be able to dive deep on topics. My schedule now is allowing that a little bit more, and so I’ve gotten to do that more than I would the last few years and that’s been a lot of fun.”

With the way the Giants are rolling this season and how happy Zaidi appears in his new role, it looks like all parties are satisfied — no matter how wild the theories were.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast