San Francisco Giants hire J.P Riccardi as senior advisor

J. P. Ricciardi will become a senior advisor to new San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi.

The hiring, which has not yet been formally announced, will continue the restructuring of the San Francisco Giants front office that began when Zaidi was hired away from the Los Angeles Dodgers last month.

Yahoo Sports Jeff Passan first reported the decision this afternoon; it appears to be pending only a final agreement on specific terms.

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Ricciardi has a lengthy resume that includes a stint as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2002 to 2009. Following his firing, he worked briefly as a TV analyst, then joined the Mets front office as an advisor to Sandy Alderson.

In San Francisco, he will join a front office populated with former Giants stars. Willie Mays and Will Clark are special assistants, and Barry Bonds is a special advisor.

The Giants are still seeking a general manager following the removal of Bobby Evans shortly before season’s end. Zaidi has not yet indicated his timetable for filling that position, and Ricciardi’s hiring may give him leeway to further delay that decision if he chooses to do so. In Zaidi, Ricciardi and Executive Vice President Brian Sabean, the Giants front office already features three experienced former GMs.

Born in 1959, Ricciardi’s professional baseball experience began as a player while attending St. Leo University. Signed by the Mets, he completed two minor league seasons before becoming a minor league coach in the Yankee system.

He was named a special assistant to Alderson during the latter’s tenure with the Athletics in 1996, and was named director of player personnel when Billy Beane succeeded Alderson. His success with Beane in building the low-budget Athletics brought him to the attention of the Blue Jays when Gord Ash was removed after the 2001 season, and Toronto hired him as general manager.

During Ricciardi’s tenure, the Jays never won the AL East, coming closest in 2006 when they finished second, 10 games behind the Yankees and eight games out of the wild card race. The Jays won 642 games and lost 653, a .496 percentage.