Report: SF Giants get permission to interview Padres manager Bob Melvin

The SF Giants have been granted permission to interview San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin in the team’s managerial search, per The Athletic.

The SF Giants may have found their next manager. Even if he currently works for another National League West team. Andrew Baggarly and Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported on Sunday that the San Diego Padres granted the Giants permission to interview their manager, three-time Manager of the Year Bob Melvin. Per the report, "Melvin instantly becomes the Giants’ leading candidate."

Melvin spent the last two years with the Padres, leading them to the National League Championship Series in his first year in San Diego. But the high-priced Padres disappointed in 2023, going 82-80 despite outscoring their opponents by over 100 runs.

Padres general manager A.J. Preller reportedly clashed with Melvin, creating a "civil war" in the organization. While owner Peter Seidler publicly supported the return of both men in 2024, Preller sounded less confident about Melvin's return.

"I think those are all kind of personal matters and private matters," Preller told reporters after the season, adding, "He’s under contract. He’s our manager."

But if Farhan Zaidi and the Giants organization can come to terms with their top choice, he won't be much longer. The cost-cutting Padres may want to ditch Melvin's $4 million salary as well, so letting him leave voluntarily would save them a significant amount of cash.

Like recent free agent acquisitions Joc Pederson and Mitch Haniger, Melvin went to high school in the South Bay, playing at Menlo-Atherton before going on to UC Berkeley and Cañada College in Redwood City. The Giants traded for Melvin in 1985, and he split time at catcher with Bob Brenly the next three seasons, including their NL West-winning 1987 season.

Melvin eventually became Brenly's bench coach when he managed the Arizona Diamondbacks to their World Series title in 2001, and then won the NL West in 2002. He went on to manage the Seattle Mariners in 2003, where he won 93 games in his first season. Melvin returned to the Diamondbacks from 2005-2009, winning Manager of the year and reaching the NLCS in 2007.

Later, Melvin would manage the cross-town Oakland Athletics from 2011-21. He won Manager of the Year in 2012 and 2018, made the playoffs six times, and finished with 853 wins, second-most in the history of the franchise.

During his time with the A's, Josh Reddick called Melvin the "King of Platoons," something that likely appeals to Zaidi, who also worked for the A's at that time. He's also a former backup catcher that the Giants would be hiring away from the Padres, a formula that was wildly successful with Bruce Bochy.

Now that Melvin has become available, it sheds light on some of the Giants' previous interviews. With Melvin the seemingly top choice, some of the Giants' recent interviews could help them decide on a bench coach for next season. 

They've spoken to incumbent bench coach Kai Correa, third base coach (and Buster Posey's old roommate) Mark Hallberg, longtime former bench coach Ron Wotus, and assistant coach Alyssa Nakken already, as well as one of Melvin's former catchers in Oakland, Stephen Vogt. They've also talked with former catcher Nick Hundley and expressed interest in interviewing legendary Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

While there's no guarantee that Melvin will take the job, his local ties and history with both Zaidi and the Giants organization would seem to make him a good fit. In addition, with the Padres allowing Melvin to interview elsewhere, it might make his potential return to San Diego an awkward proposition.

That uncomfortable Preller-Melvin relationship could also mean that the Padres wouldn't demand compensation for signing Melvin, which was the case when Oakland let him leave for San Diego two years ago.

The SF Giants seem to have found their next manager. It's the first step in seeing what the 2024 team will look like, in the dugout and on the field.