SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Farhan Zaidi understands the intrigue that stems

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Farhan Zaidi understands the intrigue that stems from his unique baseball path: from the small-budget Oakland Athletics to the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers and back to the Bay Area to join the rival Giants.San Francisco’s new front-office whiz plans to incorporate plenty from the franchise’s rich tradition by leaning on some of the entrenched baseball minds behind its success this decade http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-aaron-loup-jersey , even if there are varying ideas about how to get the Giants back into playoff contention.“It’s a convenient narrative to see this as kind of a clash of schools of thought. I just don’t see it that way at all,” the MIT-educated Zaidi said of mixing his analytics expertise with the old-school practices of veteran executive Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy. “Obviously we didn’t get to these points in our career the same way or in a similar way, but I think that’s part of the beauty of the game, how we all wind up together and then pulling toward a common goal.”Following four years as general manager of the Dodgers, Zaidi received a five-year contract to become Giants president of baseball operations Tuesday. He was formally introduced Wednesday at AT&T Park, then headed back to Southern California and the GM meetings in Carlsbad. He’ll join up with San Francisco’s front office on site — a trip Zaidi figures will bring some “normalcy” back to his life after a whirlwind few days switching organizations.Giants CEO Larry Baer and Zaidi first met Friday for a planned two-hour session that carried on for 6 1/2 hours. Zaidi on Wednesday thanked the Dodgers for allowing him to pursue an opportunity with their NL West rival, saying “I’m incredibly gracious.”Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said it would be fun competing against Zaidi.At the GM meetings, Friedman said the Dodgers would miss Zaidi’s “creativity, work ethic, ability to connect with people. He’s extremely talented and somebody who’s obviously made a huge impact for us the last four years.”Friedman said he and Zaidi had conversations about the Giants’ job during the last week. “I kept telling him, obviously I’m biased but I’m trying to do everything I could to support him and be a sounding board and set my bias to the side.”The Dodgers didn’t try to lure Zaidi back, Friedman said. “No, I mean that was the point. If this was something he wanted to pursue we were going to support him.”The next step for Zaidi is hiring a general manager and a farm director, something he hopes to do soon if the right candidate emerges.It’ll be a new direction for a franchise that won World Series championships in 2010, ’12 and ’14.Zaidi’s Dodgers reached the World Series the past two years without winning.“The response was just total heartbreak, I guess. I don’t know how else you say it,” he said.Zaidi will spend the coming months learning more about a franchise he’s watched closely for decades. He has already exchanged text messages with some core players, and he plans to visit a few this offseason. Zaidi’s first baseball game came at Candlestick Park in 1987, so this feels like coming “full circle.”Zaidi earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from MIT in 1998 and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 2011. He spent 10 years with the A’s before joining Los Angeles.“It was quite compelling the way Farhan was able to put together winning franchises throughout,” Baer said, noting he hopes Zaidi will lead the club decades into the future.San Francisco went 73-89 during an injury-plagued 2018 with a major league-worst 5-21 record in September, missing the playoffs for a second straight year and third time in four seasons.Zaidi has no plans of tackling a turnaround on his own. Sabean will stay directly involved, and Bochy is allowed the last word when it comes to on-field moves, including the lineup and rotation.“Anything that is under the privy of the manager, the manager has final say — period. That is not even a question for me,” Zaidi said.Zaidi and Bochy spoke briefly already and will meet in person at some point. Bochy is scheduled to attend late Hall of Famer Willie McCovey’s celebration of life Thursday at the ballpark after Zaidi is already back in the San Diego area.To Bochy and Sabean, Zaidi expressed his interest in learning from both longtime, accomplished baseball men while bringing a fresh look, saying “I see this as a collaborative process” with “ideas flowing both ways.”A message he kept coming back to Wednesday: “Our goal is to play meaningful baseball as deep into the season and as soon as we can.”To do so, he will strive to make “one good baseball move after another” in building a winning roster.“I think the theme that we had from a player-acquisition standpoint in particular was no move is too small to not be worth a certain level of effort and detail — waiver claims, minor league free agents, second or third players in trades,” he said. “There’s a lot of value to be had in identifying talent in those regards.”Oh, and don’t rule out an A’s-Giants trade with his former Oakland boss, Billy Beane.“I think one of those could happen,” Zaidi said, grinning. Chicago Cubs:RHP Trevor Clifton(AA/AAA: 20 GS, 5-6, 3.35 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 42 BB, 86 K Matt Adams Jersey , 104.2 IP)Once viewed as one of the better arms in a pitching-thin Cubs system, Trevor Clifton saw his stock tumble last season when he went 5-8 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 100.1 innings at Double-A.MLB.com explained: "He entered last year as the best mound prospect in the upper levels of the system, but returning nearby where he grew up to pitch for Double-A Tennessee proved to be too much of a distraction. He got hammered to the tune of a 7.99 ERA during the final three months, earning a mandate from club officials to get stronger mentally and physically."It appears he's done just that, as an excellent start back at Double-A has earned him his first taste of Triple-A action. The Cubs have already turned to Duane Underwood, Jen-Ho Tseng and Luke Farrell for spot starts with little success, so don't be surprised if Clifton is next.Cincinnati Reds:RHP Jimmy Herget(AAA: 41 G, 1-2, 2.77 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 20 BB, 54 K, 48.2 IP)The bullpen has been a strength this season for the rebuilding Reds. They rank 16th in the majors with a 4.04 ERA as a group, and while that might not sound like much, it's a stark improvement over the 4.65 ERA they posted a season ago.Unfortunately, that stability has meant fewer opportunities for someone like Jimmy Herget.A Futures Game participant in 2017, Herget is MLB-ready with a mid-90s fastball, plus slider and a deceptive delivery that helps his already solid stuff play up.The 24-year-old will need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter anyway to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, so that should increase his chances of earning a late promotion.Milwaukee Brewers:LHP Quintin Torres-Costa(AA/AAA: 34 G, 4 SV, 1.45 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 18 BB, 54 K, 43.1 IP)It's unlikely the Brewers would consider calling up top prospect Keston Hiura given the current infield logjam, and top pitching prospect Corbin Burnes is already working out of the big league bullpen, so we have to dig a bit deeper here.Aside from All-Star Josh Hader, the only lefty in the bullpen is Dan Jennings, who has been excellent in middle relief.With a number of potent lefties residing in the NL Central, it wouldn't hurt to add another southpaw to the mix for the stretch run, and Quintin Torres-Costa looks like the leading candidate.A late-round find as a 35th-round pick out of Waiakea High School in Hawaii in 2015, Torres-Costa showed well in the Arizona Fall League last year (10 G, 4.50 ERA, 16 K, 14.0 IP), and he's continued to impress against upper-level competition.Pittsburgh Pirates:RHP Clay Holmes(A+/AAA: 17 GS, 7-3, 3.30 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 38 BB, 100 K, 95.1 IP)The Pirates added a major weapon to the bullpen when they acquired Keone Kela from the Rangers at the trade deadline, but there's still room to improve a unit that ranks 19th in the majors with a 4.21 ERA.While Clay Holmes has been used almost exclusively as a starter since he was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 draft, he has the stuff to be an asset out of the bullpen http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-kevin-long-jersey , even if it's just a temporary move.To that point, MLB.com wrote: "There has been talk about moving Holmes to the bullpen, where that sinker-cutter combination could be extremely effective.For now, he'll likely keep starting as rotation depth so he can fill any kind of role once the need arises in Pittsburgh."The immediate need is in the bullpen, and he's ready to help.St. Louis Cardinals:RHP Giovanny Gallegos(AAA: 20 G, 2 SV, 3.41 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 10 BB, 44 K, 31.2 IP)Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos were both acquired in the deal that sent slugging first baseman Luke Voit to the Yankees ahead of the trade deadline. The Cardinals slotted Shreve in the big league bullpen immediately, and Gallegos should soon follow.The 26-year-old has punched out 169 batters in 123 innings at the Triple-A level over parts of the last four seasons, posting a 2.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP along the way.His fastball/curveball gives him legitimate swing-and-miss stuff and he's already a member of the 40-man roster, so expect to see him in St. Louis at some point before the season is over.NL West6 of 6Shaun AndersonRob Carr/Getty ImagesArizona Diamondbacks:RHP Jimmie Sherfy(AAA: 31 G, 14 SV, 1.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 15 BB, 48 K, 34.2 IP)It's a bit puzzling that Jimmie Sherfy has not gotten more of a chance at the MLB level.The 26-year-old was lights-out during the 2017season, posting a 3.12 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 in 44 appearances at Triple-A before capping off the year with 10.2 scoreless innings out of the big league bullpen.He's continued to dominate Triple-A hitters this season with his 70-grade fastball and plus curveball, yet he's seen just four innings of work in the majors.The deadline additions of Brad Ziegler and Jake Diekman won't make it any easier for Sherfy to find work. Contenders can always use more bullpen help for the stretch run though, and he'll be ready when the need arises.Colorado Rockies:RHP Peter Lambert(AA/AAA: 21 GS, 10-5, 2.82 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 91 K, 121.1 IP)With Chad Bettis looking extremely rusty in his return to action (4.2 IP, 8 H, 9 ER), the Rockies might need to consider other options for the rotation if he doesn't improve quickly.Peter Lambert is the top pitching prospect in the system, and he's enjoying a breakout season in the upper levels of the minors that hasvaulted him into the top-100 prospect conversation.MLB.com wrote: "Lambert shows the potential for four pitches that could be at least solid. His fastball sits at 92-94 mph and peaks at 96, and he keeps it off barrels with sink, angle and very good command. His tumbling changeup may be his most consistent plus pitch, though his low-80s curveball can be even better than that at times."His 4.71 ERA and 1.79 WHIP in six starts since being promoted to Triple-A gives some reason for pause, but that's largely a result of one brutal start (1.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 ER), and there's little doubt he's capable of making a major impact at the next level.Los Angeles Dodgers:OF Alex Verdugo(AAA: 310 PA, .345/.397/.489, 25 XBH,8 HR http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-joaquin-benoit-jersey , 40 RBI, 36 R)Matt Kemp (64 PA, .179 BA, .569 OPS) and Kike Hernandez (51 PA, .146 BA, .409 OPS) have gone ice cold at the plate since the All-Star break, yet both players continue to see regular playing time in the Dodgers outfield.Meanwhile, top prospect Alex Verdugo has once again owned Triple-A pitching, while also posting a .280/.345/.440 line in 56 plate appearances scattered over a handful of call-ups to the majors.The strong first-half performance from Kemp was a pleasant surprise and Hernandez is a valuable utility option off the bench, but if the Dodgers are serious about winning a title, they need to consider giving Verdugo a regular role down the stretch.The status quo doesn't make sense when guys aren't hitting. San Diego Padres:2B Luis Urias(AAA: 461 PA, .273/.383/.415, 35 XBH,8 HR, 39 RBI, 68 R)Is Luis Urias ready to take over the everyday second base job in 2019?That's a question that will need to be answered, and giving the 21-year-old an extended look the rest of the way could help provide some clarity.Carlos Asuaje (209 PA, .198 BA, .569 OPS), Cory Spangenberg (219 PA, .238 BA, .652 OPS) and Jose Pirela (398 PA, .251 BA, .647 OPS) are not long-term pieces of the puzzle.Meanwhile, with a 70-grade hit tool, plus speed and the glove to play on either side of second base, Urias has a chance to be a cornerstone piece in San Diego.San Francisco Giants:RHP Shaun Anderson(AA/AAA: 20 GS, 7-7, 3.74 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 32 BB, 108 K, 118.0 IP)The Giants have been forced to cobble together a starting rotation for much of the season, and with Johnny Cueto lost for the year to Tommy John surgery, that figures to continue the rest of the way.Shaun Anderson has emerged as the best pitching prospect in the system this season, and after earning a promotion to Triple-A, he's knocking on the door.The 23-year-old "has the look of a durable No. 3 starter," according to MLB.com, and giving him a chance to prove himself down the stretch could have an impact on the team's offseason plans. Shoring up the starting staff figures to be a priority, but if Anderson shows well, perhaps they can focus their attention elsewhere. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, and accurate through Aug. 7.