Mired in mediocrity the past two seasons after having won a franchise-record 107 games and the National League West title in 2021, the San Francisco Giants swung for the fences in pursuit of a new manager.
A perceived home run that not long ago seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream became reality Oct. 25 when the club officially named Bay Area native and former Giants catcher Bob Melvin as the man entrusted to lead San Francisco back to relevance, not to mention playoff contention.
“We view Bob as the perfect manager and perfect leader for this team and this organization right now,” Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said during an introductory news conference at Oracle Park in San Francisco. “There are so many players who played for Bob who to this day will say he’s the best manager they’ve ever played for. That carried so much weight for us in this process. It’s one of the many reasons we’re excited to have him as our manager.”
Among the players who echoed exactly those sentiments is retired outfielder Eric Byrnes, a veteran of five teams who took to X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter, to write that the Giants had “landed a gem.”
Two seasons into a three-year deal to manage the San Diego Padres and amid multiple reports of irreparable friction with San Diego General Manager A.J. Preller, Mr. Melvin will move back up the California coast after San Francisco gained permission from its division rival to interview the three-time manager of the year.
Though not unprecedented, it is a highly unusual scenario that seemed rather far-fetched until a whirlwind few days that conjured memories of 2007, when the Padres allowed their then-manager, Bruce Bochy, to leave for San Francisco.
Mr. Bochy subsequently led the Giants to World Series championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and is now back in the World Series as manager of the American League champion Texas Rangers.
“I really don’t want to get too much into the San Diego situation other than I really enjoyed my time there,” Mr. Melvin said during the news conference. “Some things transpired in a difficult year, and I think there was a narrative that probably wasn’t going to go away with me being on the last year of my contract. As far as that organization goes, it’s probably not fair if that narrative continued through next year. It just seems like with a lot of things that were popping up there, it was time to move on.”
Having previously managed the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Oakland Athletics during a 20-year career in the dugout, Mr. Melvin owns a career record of 1,517-1,425, with eight postseason appearances.
He led the Padres on a late-season run and into the National League Championship series in 2022, but a superstar-laden San Diego team was never in the race this season, finishing third in the National League West at 82-80 despite a $253 million payroll that was third-highest in baseball.
San Francisco management and ownership looked past any potential “recency bias” in granting Mr. Melvin a three-year contract, Mr. Zaidi said.
“You’re looking at the totality of someone’s career,” said Mr. Zaidi, who previously worked with Mr. Melvin when the two were in Oakland. “I’ve been around Bob, seen how he runs a clubhouse, seen how he runs a team, and I would put his leadership and management skills up against anybody in the game. He has my complete trust.”
Giants Chairman Greg Johnson revealed during the news conference that the club has also agreed in principle on a new contract that will carry Mr. Zaidi through the 2026 season, as well.
“I feel very confident that these two together, along with our board and ownership group, are the right people to get us back to where we need to be,” Mr. Johnson said. “I can tell you that from the ownership side, the goal is to win.”
Mr. Melvin, 61, replaces former manager Gabe Kapler, who fell just short of four full seasons in San Francisco. In the wake of a late-season collapse that left them 79-83 and fourth in the National League West, the Giants let Mr. Kapler go with three games remaining in the regular season.
A native of Palo Alto who attended Menlo-Atherton High School on the San Francisco Peninsula and starred for the 1980 Cal team that finished third in the College World Series, Mr. Melvin spent three of his 10 seasons as a major-league player with the Giants.
“This is kind of a surreal moment for me,” Mr. Melvin said. “I grew up around here an absolute crazy Bay Area sports fan, whether it was Cal and Stanford, the 49ers and Raiders, the Giants and A’s, the Warriors, I was into it all. For me, this isn’t something as a kid you could even dream of. At some point in time, it will sink in.”
Chances are that will happen quickly, given the heavy workload and necessary roster overhaul that await.
In citing criteria for the next manager after parting with Mr. Kapler, Mr. Zaidi had identified the need to settle on a replacement before the opening of free-agency season, which will begin shortly after the upcoming World Series.
The theory is that Mr. Melvin’s reputation might well help San Francisco recruit high-profile players, an area where the team has consistently come up short in recent years.
“Hopefully I do have an impact in that,” he said. “We’ll see where it goes. The expectation is going to be to win here from Day 1. Obviously, with the resources we have and the commitment from ownership and everywhere else, you’re always going to have a chance to win here.”
