The Giants have dismissed Bobby Evans from his general manager duties, the club announced on Monday evening. Evans will be reassigned within the organization.
Evans, 50, has been GM of the Giants since prior to the 2015 season. While the team posted winning seasons in his first two years on the job and made the playoffs in 2016, they lost 98 games a year ago and this season are headed for a second consecutive losing campaign. A number of Evans' prominent moves -- the signings of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija and the trade for Matt Moore -- have worked out poorly for the team, which no doubt played a role in this decision.
"I want to thank Bobby for his tireless work on behalf of the Giants. He played an important role in our team's success throughout his tenure, which includes three World Series championships, four NL pennants and eight playoff appearances," said Giants president and CEO Larry. Baer in a statement released by the team. "We look forward to new leadership to continue our historic record of success."
The team said it will immediately begin a search for a new head of baseball operations. Former GM and current executive VP Brian Sabean will, according to the team, be assisting in that search, which suggests that he'll remain in the organization, at least in a figurehead capacity. The status of longtime manager Bruce Bochy is probably yet to be determined.
As for the team's future, they're probably in need of a rebuild, but the organization under Sabean has been reluctant to commit to the process. Perhaps, though, a fresh baseball-ops perspective will persuade ownership that a reset is in order. On the other hand, turning to a veteran exec of a like mindset -- Bob Nightengale names former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti as a strong candidate -- may signal business as usual in San Francisco. However, Henry Schulman of the the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that Colletti will not be returning to the organization to replace Evans.
