San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is planning for the 2021 season as if the designated hitter won't return to the National League, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
"At least for one year, we may be back to old-style National League baseball," said Zaidi while appearing on "Chalk Talk" on the Giants' YouTube channel Thursday night.
The National League adopted the designated hitter for the first time in the shortened 2020 season. A decision hasn't been announced about its status going forward despite the World Series ending Oct. 27.
Without a DH squarely in place, it appears like it'll change who Zaidi and the Giants front office target in free agency. However, Zaidi said they're busy going after Kyle Schwarber, David Dahl, Eddie Rosario, and others who were non-tendered Wednesday night.
"It definitely added a level of activity to what was already happening in free agency," Zaidi said, according to Baggarly. "We made calls on quite a few guys last night."
Even if the DH doesn't return in 2021, its absence could be short-lived. The current CBA is set to expire, and a universal DH might be on the table in next winter's negotiations.
