The Giants dismissed general manager Bobby Evans Monday, and more front-office shakeups are expected, according to local media reports.
In a statement, Giants president and CEO Larry Baer thanked Evans for his 25 years of service with the organization, but said the team is moving in a new direction.
“We needed to take a fresh approach with baseball operations,” Baer said (via MercuryNews.com). “We’ve had a very successful group here a long time, but we’ve got to bring a new approach to Giants baseball and take a look outside.”
The statement said Evans will be "reassigned with responsibilities to be determined."
Evans, who served in several roles with the Giants through the years, assumed GM duties before the 2015 season. With three World Series championships in the previous five seasons, he had a high standard to uphold.
Yet many of Evans' personnel moves, including the signing of high-priced free agent pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, didn't work as expected. The Giants lost 98 games last season, and are currently 72-85. The club had not had consecutive losing seasons since 2007-2008.
Baer told MercuryNews.com the team is looking for a “next-gen” baseball person to fill the GM role.
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said that Evans' dismissal is "tough."
“Obviously something like that is part of the business side of baseball, but it kind of sucks that somebody like Bobby … loses his job because we didn’t perform on the field,” Crawford told NBC Sports. “That’s always tough.”