Grant Cohn: What, exactly, is Giants president Farhan Zaidi's plan?

This is the best Farhan Zaidi can do?

The Giants' new president of baseball operations put together an opening-day starting lineup with two no-name outfielders — Connor Joe and Michael Reed — and designated both for assignment within two weeks.

Is this any way to start a baseball season? Very bad look for Zaidi. A look that makes you question his capability to run a franchise.

Sure, the Giants presented him with a mess. He inherited an old, bad, expensive, declining team. Not his fault. And we've heard good things about him. He did well with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland A's, although he never won a World Series.

But is he really this timid?

When you come to a marquee franchise like the Giants, and push out Bobby Evans, Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy, or appear to push them out, you have to do bold things. Either build the team up or tear it down. One or the other.

Nothing Zaidi did this offseason was bold.

When Sabean became the Giants' general manager in 1996, he immediately traded fan favorite third baseman Matt Williams for a package of lesser-known players, including Jeff Kent. That was bold. Fans and journalists universally panned the trade. Sabean actually had to utter the words 'I'm not an idiot' to defend himself. The trade worked out, the Giants became perennial playoff contenders and Sabean proved he's no idiot.

When Zaidi took over this offseason, he mostly did nothing. At first, I interpreted his inactivity as an early indication he would tear down the existing roster, reduce the payroll, trade veterans for prospects, improve a terrible farm system and build for the future. This seemed like the smart approach.

But then, Zaidi took a different, confusing approach. He started trading prospects for marginal players.

First, Zaidi dealt minor-league pitcher Jordan Johnson for Connor Joe. Two days later, Zaidi dealt minor-league outfielder John Andreoli for Michael Reed. In two weeks with the Giants, Joe and Reed combined to go 1 for 23 at the plate. Two failed experiments.

Zaidi needed to rectify those mistakes and fast, so he traded more prospects to replace Joe and Reed. On April 2, Zaidi dealt minor-league pitcher Juan De Paula to the Toronto Blue Jays for 30-year-old center fielder Kevin Pillar. To make room on the roster for Pillar, the Giants designated Reed for assignment.

On April 8, the Giants traded minor-league outfielder Malique Ziegler to the Minnesota Twins for first baseman Tyler Austin. To make room for Austin, the Giants designated Joe for assignment.

Austin and Pillar aren't bad players. They're not outstanding, either. They're acceptable. The Giants upgraded from blow-your-mind bad (Joe and Reed) to mediocre (Pillar and Austin).

Very poor way to start the year.

Zaidi had to trade away four prospects just to add two players who are mediocre to a team going nowhere. He set the tone for a season that may be hopeless. The Giants entered Thursday with a 4-9 record. Attendance is down big time. No one seems to know Zaidi's plan for the present or future.

If he wanted to win now, he should have signed Bryce Harper, not traded for Joe, Reed, Pillar and Austin. If he wanted to build for the future, he should have kept his prospects and traded veterans for more minor leaguers.

Zaidi should want to build for the future. The current roster isn't salvageable, and that's not his fault. The previous regime should have traded Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey for prospects two years ago while their value was high.

Now, Bumgarner has lost a few miles per hour from his fastball, and Posey has lost all the power he used to have. Those two may not be so easy to trade — Posey has a full a no-trade contract, Bumgarner a partial no-trade deal.

And yet, Zaidi must find a way to move both them. Move them now, or no later than the trade deadline. Be bold. Some team should want Bumgarner, because his contract is cheap, and he's still only 29.

Trading Posey will be tougher. He's 32, and because of his no-trade contract, he can stay with the Giants if he wants to. But if they keep losing, he might want to leave to join a team that's not rebuilding. Wouldn't you?

Even if Posey wants out, though, the Giants may have trouble trading him. He will earn $24.1 million this season, next season and the season after. He's expensive for a catcher who hasn't hit 20 home runs in a season since 2014.

Posey represents the problems the Giants are up against. To trade him, they might have to pay a significant portion of his salary even after he leaves. Again, not Zaidi's fault. He inherited Posey and his surgically repaired hip.

Trading Posey and Bumgarner will be painful at first, just as trading Williams was painful in 1996. But the pain will lead to a promising future.

Keeping Posey and Bumgarner while making no significant moves will be painful, too. Keeping them while shuffling mediocre outfielders in and out of the lineup will make Zaidi look lost, hopeless and weak.

No one wants to look like that.

Grant Cohn covers the 49ers and Bay Area sports for The Press Democrat and pressdemocrat.com in Santa Rosa. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.