It’s always interesting to see a coach or manager go from one team to another one in the same league without being fired, and that’s what’s now happened with Bob Melvin. Melvin (seen above in April), a MLB manager with Seattle (2003-04), Arizona (2005-09), and Oakland (2011-present), is now leaving the A’s for the San Diego Padres. MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell broke that news, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan then confirming it:
The A's allowed Melvin to interview with the Padres. No compensation headed to Oakland for the hire.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) October 29, 2021
Bob Melvin will be the new manager of the San Diego Padres, source confirms to ESPN. He’s signing a three-year deal and will leave Oakland, as @AJCassavell reported. Melvin is regarded as one of the best managers in baseball, and he’s heading to manage Fernando Tatis Jr and more.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 29, 2021
There’s probably some logic here for Melvin, as the Padres have a whole lot of talent. And they may have offered him more money and more stability than the A’s could, especially with that organization currently in the middle of a protracted stadium negotiation. But the A’s did better in 2021 than the Padres did (86-76 versus 79-83; San Diego fired manager Jayce Tingler earlier this month following that disappointing season), and there will be a whole lot of high expectations for Melvin in San Diego. We’ll see what he can do there.
[AJ Cassavell on Twitter; photo from D. Ross Cameron/USA Today Sports]