Giants Hire Astros' 33-Year-Old Pete Putila as GM to Replace Scott Harris

The San Francisco Giants announced the hiring of Houston Astros assistant general manager Pete Putila as the team's new general manager on Monday night.

Putila, who is just 33 years old, will assume the role previously held by Scott Harris, who was hired as president of baseball operations of the Detroit Tigers last month.

In San Francisco, Putila will work with and report to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who has led the Giants' front office since 2018.

According to the Associated Press, Zaidi said:

"Pete has a stellar reputation in the industry as a creative thinker and strong collaborator, and we view him as a seamless fit with our culture of embracing a growth mindset on and off the field. We've prioritized player development up to and including the major leagues, and Pete's experience and thought leadership in this space will be a tremendous asset as we continue to strengthen our talent pipeline and build a sustainable winner in San Francisco."

Despite his young age, Putila is a Major League Baseball veteran, having spent the past 12 years in the Astros organization, including the past three years as assistant GM.

Along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Astros have been the most dominant team in baseball in recent years, reaching the playoffs in each of the past six seasons.

Included in that run are three trips to the World Series and one World Series championship in 2017.

Putila will join a Giants organization that has been nowhere near as successful, making the playoffs just once over the past six seasons and going 81-81 this season after having the best record in baseball last season at 107-55.

However, the Giants have the means to spend big money in free agency.

Zaidi has said the Giants intend to be major players during the offseason, telling reporters that he will be "really active."

New York Yankees slugger and likely American League MVP Aaron Judge is the crown jewel of the upcoming free-agent class after setting an AL record for single-season home runs with 62.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today also recently reported the Giants plan to pursue both Judge and Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner and will do "anything" to return to the postseason.

If the Giants can sign Judge, Turner or any number of other big-name free agents, it would go a long way toward setting Putila up to succeed in his new role.