Dodgers News: Farhan Zaidi Draws Praise From Fellow GMs

Zaidi was hired to replace Ned Colletti and is moving on from assistant GM to simply GM. He joins a reloaded front office in Los Angeles that has a preference for analytics. The move came shortly after Andrew Friedman was hired away from the Tampa Bay Rays. Since their arrival in Los Angeles, they have been praised as a step in the right direction for the Dodgers.

According to Mark Saxon of ESPN LA, Zaidi is receiving praise from some of his fellow GMs:

I think he has tremendous people skills, as well as a great intellect, and he has good character, so I think those attributes will serve him well in a leadership position that he’s now in,” the New York Yankees’ Brian Cashman said at last week’s GM meetings in Phoenix.

Zaidi made his first trade as GM on Monday, acquiring minor-league outfielder Kyle Jensen from the Miami Marlins. While the move is not expected to make a significant impact, it could lead to other deals in the near future. The Dodgers are also reportedly making a push for shortstop Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox.

Cashman wasn’t the only GM from the American League East that had nice words for Zaidi:

Farhan has really developed a reputation as someone who’s able to balance the objective thinking with the ability to relate to scouts and baseball people and bring those worlds together,” Boston Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said. “That’s probably what most people are trying to do.”

The Dodgers hope that the new front office will lead to a bright future that includes a World Series championship.