In the final week of February, in a hotel in Las Vegas, Farhan Zaidi lobbied free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper to spend the next decade with the San Francisco Giants. When Harper declined San Francisco's $310 million offer for a more lucrative contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Zaidi pivoted toward less luminous options for his outfield, attempting to traverse the hurdles in his path as he rebuilds a prideful franchise.
In the final week of March, on his first opening day as San Francisco's president of baseball operations, Zaidi unveiled a roster with 26-year-old rookie Connor Joe starting in one outfield corner and 26-year-old rookie Michael Reed starting in the other.