Padres supervisor Bob Melvin has been given permission by the workforce to interview with the Giants about their managerial emptiness, in keeping with The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Andrew Baggarly. “Melvin has emerged as the favourite in San Francisco, with league sources indicating that he acquired assurances he could be a prime candidate earlier than he agreed to take part within the interview course of,” Lin and Baggarly write.
Stories surfaced two days in the past that the Giants had been briefly halting their seek for a brand new supervisor whereas ready to listen to again from rival groups for his or her go-ahead to interview staff. Melvin was chief amongst this new group of candidates, and it may very properly be that the Giants had been particularly ready on the Padres on whether or not or not Melvin could be allowed to talk with the division rival. Melvin continues to be underneath contract with San Diego by way of the tip of the 2024 season, although rumors have swirled for months about Melvin’s future with the membership and his relationship with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.
By this level, it will look like an upset if Melvin doesn’t find yourself as San Francisco’s subsequent supervisor. Whereas the official interview has but to happen, Melvin and Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi are fairly conversant in one another — Melvin was the Athletics’ supervisor when Zaidi started his baseball profession in Oakland’s entrance workplace over a decade in the past. Lin and Baggarly be aware that it may create an much more awkward scenario between Melvin and Preller if Melvin didn’t find yourself getting the Giants job, so maybe no matter what occurs with the San Francisco interview, Melvin won’t be again because the Padres’ skipper in 2024.
Again in September, Lin and Ken Rosenthal delved into the inner points which have plagued the Padres group past simply their disappointing 2023 season. Chief amongst these issues is the allegedly frosty relationship between Melvin and Preller, although each males have downplayed the concept of any discord. After the Padres completed with solely an 82-80 document this season, there was loads of hypothesis that both Melvin or each Melvin and Preller might be fired, but membership chairman Peter Seidler gave a full vote of confidence to his administration workforce at season’s finish. Preller additionally said quickly afterward that “Bob is our supervisor, and he’s going to be our supervisor going ahead,” seemingly placing the matter to relaxation.
Nonetheless, many pundits felt a parting was coming sooner relatively than the later, particularly when the Giants’ managerial place turned open after Gabe Kapler was fired. The previous ties between Melvin and Zaidi made the veteran skipper a logical candidate from day one, assuming the hurdle of the Padres’ clearance for an interview might be jumped.
It’s attainable the Padres and Giants may work out a commerce to formally ship Melvin to the Bay Space, or the Padres may merely see this as a chance for a contemporary begin. Melvin leaving for an additional job relatively than being fired, as Baggarly and Lin be aware, would save the Padres the $4MM owed to the supervisor in wage for the 2024 season. This tracks with the Padres’ total plan to chop prices subsequent season, starting from each inside monetary issues like a supervisor’s wage to participant payroll.
If Melvin was to be employed by the Giants, San Diego would instantly be in want of a brand new supervisor, although Lin and Baggarly cite bench coach Ryan Flaherty and coach Mike Shildt as attainable candidates to take over the job. Finest recognized for his days as an Orioles utilityman, Flaherty has been on the Padres’ teaching workers for the final 4 seasons, and was promoted to bench coach previous to the 2023 marketing campaign. Previous to hiring Melvin, Preller’s earlier two managerial hires had been Andy Inexperienced and Jayce Tingler, who (like Flaherty) had by no means managed on the MLB degree.
Then again, Shildt is a former skipper, managing the Cardinals from 2018-2021 and main the membership to postseason appearances within the final three of these seasons. Shildt was relatively surprisingly fired after the 2021 season as a consequence of what Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak described as “philosophical variations,” and the Padres then interviewed Shildt for the managerial emptiness that was ultimately crammed by Melvin. San Diego ended up hiring Shildt anyway that winter for a participant improvement place, and he moved into a training position this previous season.
