San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is in the midst of an intense and important search for a new manager. But in the last few days, he reportedly too a break from the search. He traveled east. Far east. But Zaidi's travels weren't for vacation. He was in attendance to watch Japanese ace superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly. According to Baggarly, "there’s a sense within the industry that the Giants won’t allow another team to outbid them for [Yamamoto's] services."

In other significant news, Baggarly reports that the SF Giants are interested in hiring Bob Melvin as their next manager. Melvin is under contract for another year with the San Diego Padres, but the Friars could be amenable to letting Melvin go, particularly because his relationship with Padres GM A.J. Preller is apparently broken beyond repair. Melvin would bring a strong veteran presence to the Giants, and he'd instantly command the respect of players and fans alike.

Another thing Melvin has going for him: he's apparently known for his close ties to Asian-born players such as Ichiro Suzuki, and more recently Yu Darvish and Ha-Seong Kim. Darvish, who's from Japan, could influence Yamamoto's decision on where to sign. Kim, who's from Korea, could influence Jung-Hoo Lee, another player the Giants are reported to have serious interest in signing this offseason.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

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