The San Diego Padres disappointed in a big way this season, missing out on the postseason despite having a very talented roster on paper. And this led Padres manager Bob Melvin to make a shocking decision on Tuesday, leaving the Padres for one of the team’s NL West rivals.
According to Padres beat writer Kevin Acee, Melvin is leaving the Padres to be the new manager for the San Francisco Giants.
Melvin finished his second year as manager in San Diego this season, which obviously didn’t go as planned. The Padres’ 82-80 record this year is a much worse result than in 2022, when the Padres made it all the way to the NLCS.
Melvin has shown over the course of his managerial career that he can lead a team to success in the right situation, earning three Manager of the Year awards over the course of his career. And for him, it’s clear that San Diego was not the right situation.
Giants hire away Padres manager Bob Melvin https://t.co/tJuVmWp9S5
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) October 24, 2023
It’s an interesting move because Melvin may not be in the best position to succeed in his new role, either. The Giants have missed the postseason each of the last two seasons, finishing slightly worse than the Padres with a 79-83 record this year.
It seems like a lateral move for Melvin on paper, but it makes sense considering he has ties with the Giants organization. He played for the Giants from 1986-88 as a catcher.
The Giants also simply have the prestige across the MLB of a winning organization, which they have earned with their three World Series championships.
San Diego simply doesn’t match up in that aspect, as they have never won a World Series.
