The San Diego Padres hired Bob Melvin to a three-year contract as their new manager Thursday, bringing on one of the most respected figures in baseball after the Oakland Athletics granted him permission to interview for the job, sources told ESPN.
Melvin, who turned 60 on Thursday, won three American League West titles in his 11 years as Oakland manager after previous stops as manager for the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. His career record, in 18 years managing, is 1,346-1,272.
The Padres fired manager Jayce Tingler after stumbling to a 79-83 finish in 2021. After entering the season with hopes of competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, the Padres collapsed in the second half and let go of Tingler after two seasons.
Melvin inherits a talented team led by star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and third baseman Manny Machado. The Padres return the majority of their core, which includes infielder Jake Cronenworth, center fielder Trent Grisham, second baseman Adam Frazier and a strong starting rotation of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. Their deep bullpen is the sort of strength Melvin could exploit, having done so with a perpetually overachieving A’s team.
His tenure in Oakland was a wild success following tenures in Seattle and Arizona that ended with disappointment. With the A’s, Melvin developed a reputation as a players’ manager as well as a keen strategist, and in a division in which his team often carried the lowest payroll, he found consistent success.