Farhan Zaidi wore multiple hats in his first year as Giants president of baseball operations. One of them included being the team's de facto general manager.
While Zaidi continues his search for a new manager to replace the departed Bruce Bochy, he also will hire a GM this offseason. There finally is a known name among San Francisco's candidates now, too.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday morning that Cubs assistant GM Scott Harris is a candidate for the Giants' opening.
Scott Harris, #Cubs assistant GM, is among candidates for #SFGiants' GM opening, sources tell The Athletic. Unclear where search stands, how close SFG are to conclusion. Finalists for manager, per @PavlovicNBCS: Joe Espada, Pedro Grifol, Gabe Kapler.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 6, 2019
Chicago promoted Harris to assistant GM prior to the 2018 season after serving five years as the Cubs' director of baseball operations. He also worked for the Nationals and Reds in the past, and served as MLB's minor league operations coordinator before joining the Cubs in 2012.
Harris earned his bachelor's degree in economics at UCLA in 2009 and received his master's degree from Northwestern's Kellog School of Management in 2015, but Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein says he's much more than what you might see on paper.
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"He's really bright and a really hard worker," Epstein said to The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma last year. "He has a strong, well-rounded executive background. But you wouldn't know by hanging around him. He's not one of these guys telling you where he got his degree, that he went to business school, that he worked in the commissioner's office, that he knows the rules better than you.
"He's really easy to get along with, people like being around him and he just makes the group better by being a great team player. That's super important. And it goes a long way. Especially if you're going to move fast at a young age. People can be jealous of that and look for ways for you to piss them off.
"But it's hard to find a way for Scott Harris to piss anyone off."
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As the Giants continue their rebuild, or "re-load" as they might call it, strong leadership at GM and manager will be crucial. Zaidi will zero in on candidates and Harris appears to be a strong one.
