MLB Rumors: Padres' Bob Melvin Expected to Be Hired as Giants Manager

Bob Melvin is going to be managing in the National League West in 2024, but it won't be with the San Diego Padres.

Per The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, the San Francisco Giants are set to name Melvin as their next manager after a "swift" interview process.

The Giants' managerial job came open on Sept. 29 when Gabe Kapler was fired going into the final series of the regular season.

Kapler went 295-248 in four seasons as Giants skipper, but his only winning year and playoff appearance came during the 2021 campaign (107-55).

It's a bit unusual for a team within the same division to allow another club to interview its manager, but the relationship between Melvin and the Padres has reportedly been on the decline for some time.

Specifically, according to The Athletic's Dennis Lin, Melvin and Padres general manager A.J. Preller "clashed" on a variety of issues, including communication and roster construction, basically since Melvin was originally hired in November 2021.

Lin and Baggarly reported on Oct. 22 that the Padres gave the Giants permission to speak with Melvin, who was under contract to San Diego through the 2024 season, about their vacant managerial position.

This season was a major disappointment in San Diego after the team spent significant money last winter to upgrade its roster. The Padres entered 2023 with the third-highest payroll in MLB at $248.995 million, trailing only the New York Mets ($353.5 million) and New York Yankees ($276.999 million).

Melvin had a successful two-year run with the Padres. He went 171-153 and an appearance in the 2022 National League Championship Series. It was the franchise's first trip to the NLCS since playing in the World Series in 1998.

In 20 total seasons as a manager, Melvin has a 1,517-1,425 record with eight playoff appearances and four division titles. His longest stint with one club was 11 seasons with the Oakland Athletics from 2011 to '21. He's also managed the Seattle Mariners (2003 to '04) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2005 to '09).