SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Giants hired Farhan Zaidi in 2018, the announcement came after the annual General Managers Meetings already had started in Carlsbad, which led to some awkwardness.
The organization arrived at the meetings without a head of baseball operations, and Zaidi ended up getting introduced in San Francisco on the same day that 29 other executives were meeting with reporters and agents in Carlsbad. This time around, the Giants have gotten the big decision out of the way early.
The press release announcing Zaidi's firing also introduced Buster Posey as the new president of baseball operations. Within minutes of sitting down at a podium, Posey announced that he would be looking for someone to replace general manager Pete Putila, who has been reassigned. Posey is planning to represent the Giants at this offseason's main events, so there's technically no rush to get a No. 2 in place, but still, given all that's ahead of him, the Giants figure to hire a new executive before flying to San Antonio in early November for the GM Meetings.
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The decision to go with Posey instead of an outsider somewhat limits the pool of potential candidates, since the Giants cannot poach someone else's GM to work alongside Posey. There are plenty of qualified assistants and former team executives, though, and Posey has made it clear that he has a certain type in mind.
"I think somebody with a scouting background will be important to me," he told NBC Sports Bay Area earlier this month. "I think someone that is relatable, someone that can not only empower the players or agents that they may come in contact with, but also can relate to the guys or girls on our coaching staff, our medical staff, our strength staff. Because all of those people matter so much for us to accomplish our ultimate goal."
As the Giants dive into their search, here are some potential candidates ...
Billy Owens
San Francisco Giants
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An early frontrunner, Owens has worked across the bay for 26 years and has been an assistant GM in Oakland for the past eight. He previously was a minor league hitting coach, area scout, scouting coordinator and director of player personnel. Giants officials certainly were impressed this season by the latest collection of young talent on the A's roster, and Owens has existing relationships with manager Bob Melvin and third baseman Matt Chapman, who has taken on a leadership role in the clubhouse.
The Previous Regime?
Look, the Giants love a reunion more than anyone. Even Zaidi got caught up, bringing Sergio Romo and Pablo Sandoval to camp the past two seasons.
Friends of Brian Sabean say the only GM to win a title in San Francisco would be happy to return at some point, although he would be a better fit in an advisory role. The same could be true of former GM Bobby Evans, who has been in touch with Posey and could bring valuable experience in dealing with agents and other front offices. Evans was the point man for most negotiations during his time in the Giants front office.
If Posey does want his GM to come from the front office that drafted him, Jeremy Shelley is the fit. The assistant GM has been with the Giants for three decades and might know more about their baseball operations department than anyone on the planet. He was mentioned multiple times during Posey's press conference and should get a chance to interview, at least. Regardless of his title, he figures to be a key figure in the new front office.
Ross Fenstermaker
The Granite Bay native and UC Davis alum just finished his 14th year with the Rangers, going from intern to assistant general manager. Fenstermaker started as a scout and has been a director of international and pro scouting, and he was part of the small group that flew to Nashville a couple of years ago to help convince Bruce Bochy to come out of retirement and manage the Rangers. He has ties to some current Giants staffers, too.
Fenstermaker would check a lot of boxes, and he comes from a front office that has succeeded in free agency at a time when the Giants have consistently come up short of their top targets.
Amiel Sawdaye
In luring Zaidi, the Giants hoped to mimic a lot of what the Dodgers have done. But maybe the Diamondbacks, who rebuilt their farm system and supplemented the big league roster with smart trades, are a better model. Sawdaye spent 15 seasons in Boston before moving to Arizona in 2016 and he was instrumental in drafting players who helped the Diamondbacks reach the World Series last season.
In Arizona, Sawdaye oversees amateur and international scouting. The Giants interviewed him in 2018.
Kim Ng
The first woman to serve as an MLB general manager, Ng previously had been an assistant GM for the Yankees and Dodgers. She was interviewed by the Giants in 2018 and then went on to help get the Marlins to the postseason, but the way things ended there might give a hint that the Giants are perhaps not the perfect fit this time around. When Ng parted ways with the Marlins last offseason, it reportedly was because they planned to hire a president of baseball operations to be her boss, and that's the setup the Giants will have.
James Harris
Cleveland's assistant GM reportedly was a finalist to be Houston's general manager a year ago. He has a unique background, having worked for the 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles before starting in baseball with the Pirates, but the Guardians are run about as well as anyone right now, so he's certainly intriguing. Harris was a candidate when the Giants were looking for a new GM in 2022.
Eve Rosenbaum
The Orioles assistant GM also had stints in the commissioner's office and with the Astros, where she got experience in international scouting. When Mike Elias went from Houston to Baltimore, Rosenbaum joined him and got a chance to work for her hometown team, which develops young position players better than anyone. Like Harris, she was a candidate for the job that went to Putila in 2022.
De Jon Watson
A special assignment scout for the Astros, Watson has emerged as a candidate, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He previously was the director of player development for the Washington Nationals.
Carlos Rodriguez
When ownership went in a new direction in 2018, the Rays were an organization that they talked about quite often, and they nearly hired Chaim Bloom from Tampa before choosing Zaidi, who interviewed Rays coach Matt Quatraro before hiring Gabe Kapler. Rodriguez has been with the Rays for more than a decade and currently serves as assistant GM and vice president of baseball operations, and he certainly has the background that Posey is seeking. He was an area scout for the Blue Jays and an international scout for the Rays before serving as director of Latin American scouting and then director of international scouting.