Farhan Zaidi is back! No, not with the Giants, but with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Zaidi was the president of baseball operations of the San Francisco Giants from 2019 to 2024, then, he got fired. Why? With 107 victories in 2021, the Giants made it to the postseason once under Zaidi. In their previous four complete seasons, they won 77, 81, 79, and 80 games, respectively. Throughout the abbreviated 2020 season, they played at a 78-win pace; however, before he became the president of the Giants, Zaidi was serving as the general manager of the Dodgers and now is coming back to be part of the front office. 

MLB insider Bob Nightingale posted on X that Zaidi will be a special advisor and also assist owner Mark Walter with sports interests. In addition to aiding the Dodgers, he will support owner Mark Walter in his other sports endeavors. The hire has not yet been made public by the team. During his time with LA, Zaidi helped the Dodgers find some real hidden gems—guys like Chris Taylor and Max Muncy, who ended up making huge contributions. 

Fast forward to his time with the Giants, and Zaidi is working his magic again, bringing in talents like LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski—two players who have really found their groove in San Francisco. But, despite those bright spots, some of the bigger moves just didn’t quite pan out the way they hoped. Now that Farhan Zaidi is back with the Dodgers, the move is not sitting right with the fans.  

Fans react to Farhan Zaidi’s news of returning to his former team   

Farhan Zaidi’s return to the Dodgers has definitely stirred the pot, especially among Giants fans, and it’s not hard to see why. Zaidi’s decision to leave the Giants after just five years and return to the Dodgers feels like a bit of a betrayal for some fans. Fans might see this as a quick exit, fueling the feeling that Zaidi didn’t really commit to the Giants long-term, despite helping bring in talent like Wade and Yastrzemski, as highlighted by one user. 

Some fans are interpreting Zaidi’s entire stint with the Giants as a long con, where he was always secretly working for his old team, the Dodgers. One fan in the comments made a stretch, bringing up the idea that he used his time in San Francisco to weaken the Giants while positioning himself for a return to L.A.

Another comment took a dig at Zaidi being a double agent, reflecting the belief that Zaidi was always pulling strings behind the scenes to benefit the Dodgers. Even though his role with the Giants was about building the roster, it’s easy for fans to feel like he was more interested in setting up LA for success, especially after watching how his tenure unfolded. 

Remember the Dodgers’ favorite financial strategy? Deferred payment, as brought up by one user. Whether or not there’s truth to this, it’s a sarcastic remark on the idea that Zaidi might’ve been motivated by more than just baseball strategy—suggesting that financial incentives (such as deferred salary) might have made the transition to L.A. a no-brainer. 

Another comment took the idea of Zaidi being a “double agent” to the next level, implying that the combination of him and Dodgers President Andrew Friedman was part of a broader scheme to not only make the Dodgers a powerhouse but to subtly undermine the Giants during Zaidi’s tenure. 

Fans are unhappy; whether it’s due to Zaidi’s perceived lack of commitment to the Giants or the way his moves might’ve seemed calculated to benefit his old team. As much as the Giants had some success with Zaidi at the helm, many are clearly feeling that the bigger picture didn’t work out the way they’d hoped, and now they’re left wondering if the whole time he was still focused on the Dodgers. What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below.