The first time Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi cut a popular fan favorite with ties to the team’s last World Series title, the move was greeted with criticism.
A decision to designate struggling second baseman Joe Panik for assignment in August, 2019 seemed like a relatively straightforward call, but many Giants fans expressed feelings of frustration, anger and betrayal when Zaidi cut a player with a .235 average and .627 OPS.
Panik was a homegrown talent and a beloved member of the 2014 World Series team whose glove flip to start a crucial double play with Brandon Crawford in Game 7 against the Royals will go down as one of the greatest defensive plays in Giants postseason history.