Farhan Zaidi, begrudgingly, watched his former and current teams battle it out in a three-game series between the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend at Dodger Stadium.
San Francisco's former president of baseball operations, who was fired shortly after the 2024 MLB season, now is an advisor with Los Angeles, where he was the general manager from 2015-2018 before joining the Giants.
With the Giants and Dodgers squaring off for the first time this season, Zaidi spoke exclusively to the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser for a Q&A about his time with San Francisco, his current role with Los Angeles and his candid thoughts about watching the Giants this season both up close and from afar.
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SIGN UP HERE "It is strange," Zaidi told Slusser when asked if the weekend series is strange for him. "If I had my choice, I would just disappear or go to like a Caribbean island for three days and then come back once it’s over. It’s strange. It’s uncomfortable. Because, as I said, I do want to see the Giants do well. I do work for the Dodgers, so obviously I want the Dodgers to do well. I kind of just want this series to be over, and I want both teams to go on and be playing other teams."
Zaid constructed the majority of the Giants' roster that has exceeded expectations so far this season, and while he is pleased to see his former organization's success in 2025, he does not take any solace in San Francisco's winning ways.
"I don’t really take any responsibility or satisfaction from the fact that the team’s doing well," Zaidi shared with Slusser. "I am very happy for the people who I had relationships who are still there because I understand the grind of the day-to-day season, and I know how much it sucks when you’re not playing well, and I know how much better it is when you are playing well.
"I know how hard those guys have worked to get the team to this point. I’m just happy for the players and the people in the organization who I know. Success is the goal and that is really validating, so I’m happy for them."
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This weekend's Giants-Dodgers series might have been the first for Zaidi this season, but it certainly won't be the last.
When the Orange and Black return to Dodger Stadium for what could be a pivotal four-game series on Sept. 18, Zaidi might want to plan a vacation.