The possibility of a managerial change in San Diego rose back to the forefront yesterday, as the Padres granted permission for the Giants to speak with Bob Melvin. The three-time Manager of the Year, who’s familiar with both the Bay Area and San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi from his long stint with the A’s, now seems a strong candidate to leave San Diego for a division rival.
Melvin is under contract with the Padres for next season. As a result, the Friars could require compensation to approve him taking the job elsewhere. Dennis Lin of the Athletic writes that the Padres may not demand more than a marginal return to allow the veteran skipper to depart, however.
That’s a reflection of the apparently strained relationship between Melvin and baseball operations leader A.J. Preller. Multiple late-season reports indicated there was a strong divide between the two. San Diego ownership clearly doesn’t believe the situation had become untenable. After a meeting between Preller, Melvin and chairman Peter Seidler, the organization announced a few weeks ago that Melvin would return. However, the Giants’ interest could afford San Diego a fresh start while clearing Melvin’s $4MM salary. Had he been fired, the Padres would’ve remained on the hook for the money.
If Melvin heads to San Francisco, the Padres have a few internal candidates to take his place. Bench coach Ryan Flaherty and senior advisor Mike Shildt seem the likeliest options. In a piece at The Athletic, Britt Ghiroli and Lin write that the 37-year-old Flaherty is highly regarded within the organization and seemingly has a strong relationship with Preller. As a result, they suggest the former Orioles infielder appears the top internal option.
By contrast, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune casts Shildt as the in-house potential favorite. The 55-year-old has prior MLB managerial experience, having led the Cardinals from midway through 2018 until he was dismissed after the ’21 season due to what St. Louis called “philosophical differences” with the front office. (Flaherty’s only managerial experience consisted of a two-week interim stint in 2022 while Melvin was recovering from surgery.) Shildt has spent the last two years working with Preller’s front office and has been open about his hope for another managerial position.
Both The Athletic and the Union-Tribune suggest San Diego could also consider external opportunities. It’s too soon to say with certainty that Melvin is even departing, much less the position will come down to Flaherty or Shildt. Given the Giants’ stated goal of finalizing their hire before the start of free agency, there figures to be a resolution within the relatively near future.
The Cardinals must be peering with binoculars from their ivory tower in St. Louis, hoping Shildt doesn’t fix that team. If he does and the Cardinals miss the playoffs again, Mozeliak will be gone next year.
I don’t think a manager alone can fix SFG. Both Zaidi and Mozeliak looking pretty overrated and desperate as front office heads at this point.
BoMel’s got that sleepy approach to coachin’
I don’t think so either, but I get the feeling that SF is going to spend like a bunch of drunken sailors this offseason. Zaidi knows the fans will crucify him if he runs out the same tired vets and fails yet again to sign a new face of the franchise.
SF is more than an Ohtani or Yamamoto away from righting the ship, but a couple of superstars and a new manager could really help to thread the needle.
Bochy could
He meant the padres, not the giants
Shildt 4 Prez
Flaherty can still be #2
Aloha BoMel
If you had written out prez to president and lost the # sign, this would be a really nice haiku
Smart move to.make trade for.more.than a.lottery ticket if they know.the level of interest.
Better than.being on.the hook.for.the salary
That, would.have been a waste and a bad move.
I dont see SF trading anything for him. Signing him alone his letting a division rival be off the hook for $4M.
Right, Maybe they’ll toss in a warm body lottery ticket, but that’s about it.
I’d be surprised at even that. I’m lind of surprised they’d even let SD get off the hook on the $4M. I’d wait and see if they let him go or just wait a season.
is this news in addition to the news reported yesterday?
Shildt would probably be the better choice to manage a veteran roster over a player not that far removed from his own playing days (including as a teammate of Manny Machado). Last 2 times Preller named a novice as Manager it was mostly a disaster (Green, Tingler)
Showalter is one of the few managers available who has a proven track record of handling the types of massive egos sinking the Padres. He is also tends to win a lot of close game because relievers seem to blossom for him.
Also, after a good night of sleep, i still hope Alex Avila gets a shot at coaching San Fran.
Buck seems intent on going to the Angels but may fare better in San Diego.
It would be interested to see Melvin take over the Giants. If he does he will have managed 3 of the 5 teams in the NL West
The Padres hire will be Shildt or Flaherty. At this point that is pretty much a given. Seidler hired Melvin over Preller’s objections and that proved to be a mistake. This will be Preller’s decision and he is going to want someone he knows he can work with well.
Preller goes through managers like underwear.
new definition for Tommy John surgery
looks like the latest on the Padres managerial situation is that there’s no change yet in the situation (as reported less than 24 hours ago)
but I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
They gotta be the first to regurgitate and throw in some spelling errors for good measure. The business of “copying and pasting” is cutthroat…
I hope Melvin leaves. I didn’t like the way he was constantly shifting the lineup. I didn’t like the way he handled the pitching staff either. I just wish he would take Preller with him. Get rid of them both, IMO. Start fresh with a new Gm and manager. I like that gal that just left the Marlins. Ng or? Maybe they could bring Aaron Boone to SD after the Yankees fire him.
I agree with Barelybreathin…..a fresh start in SD wouldn’t be a bad thing. Can’t get any worse than they were this season. But I do think they should hire a no-nonsense manager, like a Dick Williams or Jimmy Leyland type to get in the faces of the many overpaid primmadonnas on this team. I feel like Ozzie Guillen, if he’s interested would serve as a very good managerial selection here.
Already back to 5 guys in the top 100 (soon to be 6 when they sign De Vries)
He has been taken to the woodshed in some trades (notably the Nola/Ty France trade) but hopefully he’s learned from that.
Iriarte and Mazur are likely to join the top 100. DeVries may be a better prospect than Salas. He won’t join the top 100 until mid-season though.
The thing with Preller “leaving” now, would that tank the signing of Leodalis De Vries in January? The Padres getting the top International prospect back to back years would be incredible for the franchise/farm system. Not sure if changes at the top would/could change De Vries’ opinion of the franchise enough for him to sign else where, that would be a killer.
It will forever escape me how Preller has managed to be there a decade despite only having two playoff appearances and multiple losing seasons after spending the amount of money, making the amount of trades and going through the number of managers that he has.
NLCS last season.
3rd best run differential in the NL this season. Preller can’t control 0-12 or whatever the padres were in extra innings.
2-12 in extras
The Padres leave more men on second base than Taylor Swift. They need to shake it off and create a blank space because Preller and Mrlvin are never getting back together.
Preller did his job. He has rebuilt the farm system. His team had the 3rd best run differential in the NL. They’re signing the top international player in back to back years.
If you watched padres games you’d have noticed BoMels continuous head scratching decisions. Good riddance.
Correct!
A series of Melvin’s startling, mind-numbing decisions during the 2022 NLCS loss to the Phillies did not jibe with the sterling reputation he brought to San Diego.
It’s as if the nervousness of the moments overwhelmed Bob Melvin. After watching Bochy manage all of these years, there is a wide gulf between their two skill sets.
In the eyes of many, Melvin does not leave San Diego with his previous reputation intact. Those who blame that on Preller aren’t paying close enough attention.
Then again, we all know what happened he last time a Padres manager was gently nudged to San Francisco by an FO foe.
We will throw in Luis Garcia and Tim Hill to go along with BoMel for free.
Now that makes sense
Buck Showalter is the perfect fit. Flaherty is his man. Machado loves him.He will win a World Series and Flaherty will take his place at that time.
Zero-point-zero percent chance of that happening.
Zeeeeeeeeeero.
Unless San Diego replaced AJ Preller overnight.
**** Buck
I actually think either Flaherty or Shildt would do well…
Firing Schildt is just one of MO’s poor decisions. The list is long.
The fact the Cardinals think things were just a few things away from being good and productive again speaks to it.
Schildt may not be a HOF manager. But he’ll likely right the ship for the Padres if given the opportunity.
The firing of Schildt reminds me of when the inept owners of the Chargers fire Marty Shottenhiemer after a 14 win season because he hurt their fee fees.
Shildt is the obvious choice here. If he’s not the Padres are destined to be losers no matter what because ownership is not allowing proper managing of the team. Melvin is a good Manager.
BoMel seems to be losing “it” after watching him the past 2 years…
Agree, he gives people way too much slack. He lets bad relievers work though their problems in high leverage situations. I don’t know how many games were lost because he was letting bad pitchers give up runs in close games.
Melba toast not only left bad relievers in too long try to work it out with critical games on the line, but he would also follow a simple predetermined script for games. He’d cling to script regarding when starters come out, (regardless of IPs) and which relievers in set order would pitch specific innings. And he’d do this (or do nothing I should say) regardless of the lineups of the opposition. That places the team and relievers (RHers against heart of left-handed lineups etc…) in unnecessarily disadvantaged situations.
Melvin was liked by the players as a guy, but was outmaneuvered game after game by the opposing team’s manager, we all saw it and were confused as he came in with such a great reputation from Oakland.
Melvin’s tact I think was that this team was so talented, he’d just be hands off and not screw things up, but in doing so screwed things up. Baseball is competitive and the edges are thin, the manager matters.
5 managers in 6 years and a roster loaded with big, superstar ego’s to try and manage. Melvin is the winner here.
If I remember correctly, Shildt’s clubhouse in St Louis was not a particularly harmonious one, and that this undermined his tenure there. Did I get that right?
On a lot of levels, the Madres are the west coast version of the Mets.