‘Leading candidate’ emerges in SF Giants managerial search: report

Despite reassurances he would be back in San Diego, Bob Melvin was granted permission to interview for Giants’ managerial job

According to reports, a frontrunner has emerged in the San Francisco Giants’ search for their next manager.

The Athletic reported that Bob Melvin, who just finished his second season as the Padres’ manager, will interview for the job, citing anonymous sources. The longtime A’s manager and Bay Area native “instantly becomes the… leading candidate” to replace Gabe Kapler, who was fired by the Giants last month.

The Padres granted Melvin, 61, permission to interview with an NL West rival, potentially setting him up to follow in the footsteps of another manager who fled north from San Diego, Bruce Bochy, whose three World Series rings lend credence to the idea.

Melvin, a Menlo Park native who worked with Farhan Zaidi in Oakland and an experienced, well-respected manager, emerged as one of the top potential candidates to succeed Kapler. Reports of a growing schism between Melvin and Padres general manager A.J. Preller only fueled that speculation.

However, at the end of a disappointing 82-80 season in which they failed to build on their NLCS appearance under Melvin in year one, Preller reaffirmed that both men would be back in 2024. However, according to The Athletic and multiple other reports, the tension between the two has not subsided.

Melvin, who has been named manager of the year three times, would bring instant credibility. Over 20 seasons, he has compiled a 1,517-1,425 record (.516 winning percentage) while leading four organizations, more than half of which were on the other side of the Bay, where he led the A’s to six playoff appearances in 11 seasons.

Melvin’s name is the seventh to appear in San Francisco’s search, but his credentials set him apart.

The Giants have also reportedly been granted permission to interview Stephen Vogt, a catcher for Melvin’s teams in Oakland for five years, and Jason Varitek, the longtime Red Sox catcher, both of whom would be first-time managers. They’ve also met with four internal candidates with no managerial experience: bench coach Kai Correa, third base coach Mark Hallberg, assistant coach Alyssa Nakken, and special assistant Ron Wotus.