Blake Snell, Bob Melvin Won't Wait Long to Face Padres

The San Francisco Giants visit Petco Park for their Opening Day.

The Padres' domestic Opening Day opponent will feature some familiar faces in the visitors' dugout. The San Francisco Giants kick off a four-game series at Petco Park on March 28.

Bob Melvin, who left for the Giants after a frustrating 2023 season, will be managing against the Padres for the first time in years. Blake Snell won't be on the mound for San Francisco, even after agreeing to a two-year contract in a blockbuster Monday night transaction. 

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner is reportedly built up enough after his normal offseason workouts to take the ball once in the four-game series.

Snell threw 60 pitches today in a simulated four-inning outing as he prepares to try to be ready for Opening Day somewhere

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 15, 2024

Call it a series rife for rehashing the past. Going by public accounts at least, the Padres' players would have had no problem bringing either Melvin or Snell back in 2024. 

Melvin's departure was hastened after a postseason meeting with general manager A.J. Preller, after which he reportedly decided "there was still going to be some conflict." When Preller gave Melvin permission to interview elsewhere, San Francisco quickly scooped him up.

Snell always seemed like a longshot to return to San Diego. Reports that the Padres were likely to lower their payroll to $200 million or less began circulating late last season. After Snell finished the year with an MLB-best 2.25 ERA across 180 innings, he hit the free agent market looking for a bigger payday than the Padres could afford.

The Giants' reported two-year, $62 million contract with Snell might not have been the "lifetime contract" terms Snell was originally seeking. But it was enough to push him out of the Padres' orbit and into the clubhouse of their domestic opening day opponent.

According to an MLB announcement, right-hander Logan Webb will take the ball for the Giants on March 28. The Padres haven't announced their starting pitchers beyond the two-game Seoul Series.