The Giants can strike one skipper off their wish list.
Bob Melvin, who was naturally linked to the Giants once they dismissed Gabe Kapler, is returning to the San Diego Padres, team president AJ Preller said in a press conference Wednesday.
“Bob is our manager and is going to be our manager going forward,” Preller said, via The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Melvin, a former Giants catcher who also managed the Oakland Athletics, was a rumored potential fit for the Giants. The three-time Manager of the Year would have provided a new voice to the clubhouse and valuable experience.
But the Padres are valuing continuity. Melvin and Preller’s relationship, according to multiple reports, has been strained. One person described their dynamic as a “civil war,” per The San Diego Union-Tribune. Melvin has one year left on his deal, but the uncertainty clouding the Padres situation nevertheless made him a popular target of speculation.
At least for one more year, Melvin and Preller will have to work through any issues they may have. The Padres, with one of the most talented and expensive rosters in MLB, finished in third place this season.
The Giants’ search for a new manager is expected to ramp up in the next two weeks, Farhan Zaidi said in his end of season press conference. San Francisco will begin with internal candidates, but plenty of names figure to be in the mix.
“We want someone who can be an effective recruiter, and as we go into free agency,” Zaidi said. “We want to build a brand of players wanting to come here and play here. I think the manager is a big part of that. There are guys who don’t have managerial experience but maybe they’ve just ended long playing careers, and they have relationships and they can be effective recruiters, be sort of attractive leaders for players. That’s certainly going to factor into it.”
Zaidi said the Giants aim to have their next skipper in place for when free agency opens — shortly after the end of the World Series.
Kapler was the first manager the Giants have fired since 1985, when the organization replaced Jim Davenport with Roger Craig.