SAN FRANCISCO — The difference in the Giants’ stated goal entering the 2019 season was subtle.
For years, CEO Larry Baer and executives Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans explained the Giants wanted to “contend” on an annual basis. Merely staying close to the playoff hunt wasn’t enough. Leading the pack and having a legitimate chance to win a World Series title was perhaps the only way to define a season as a success.
Under first-year president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ stated goal shifted ever so slightly.
Instead of expressing a desire to contend, Zaidi wanted the Giants to play “meaningful baseball as deep into the season as possible.