At long last, after interviewing several candidates in the last few weeks, the San Diego Padres have a new manager.
Shockingly, that new skipper was previously under contract with a winning team, the Oakland Athletics: Bob Melvin.
Sources: The Padres and Bob Melvin have agreed to a three-year deal to make Melvin the next manager in San Diego.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) October 28, 2021
The A’s were in the running for a postseason spot until deep into September, and have a good, solid core of pitchers and hitters.
They finished 86-76, third in the American League West division under Melvin.
On the other hand, the Padres were one of the most disappointing teams in 2021, considering their lofty preseason expectations.
They did fight for one of the Wild Card spots at one point, but faded in the second half and finished with an ugly 79-83 record.
No one expected the San Francisco Giants to be 107-wins good, but the Padres’ awful showing was even more surprising.
They were supposed to fight with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West crown.
That’s why the Padres decided to part ways with skipper Jayce Tingler.
A Surprising Hire
Melvin has long been one of the most successful managers in MLB.
He had his option for 2022 picked up by the A’s, which is why it’s so shocking to see him end up with the Padres.
What happened?
Oakland let their long-time skipper interview for the Padres job.
As a result there will be no compensation headed to Oakland for the hire.
Presumably, Melvin liked the Padres’ ambition and compensation package, and decided to go for it.
Melvin had been the manager of the Athletics since the second half of 2011.
During that time, he consistently overcame low payrolls and managed to take the organization to the postseason a total of six times, earning a .528 winning percentage.
The Padres will be his fourth team as a manager, as he also led the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks before.
San Diego made a good hire, as Melvin is a proven leader with plenty of experience in the postseason.
A Proven Leader
He is a good fit in what the Padres are trying to do, and has shown in the past that he embraces analytics.
Bob Melvin to the Padres is a great hire and fit. Now the question is, who gets the job with the A’s?
— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) October 29, 2021
Melvin does have a World Series ring, during his time as a coach with the D-backs in 2001.
He started managing two years after that, in 2003, when he took the Mariners job until 2004.
He was the leader of the D-Backs from 2005 to 2009, and then took the A’s job in 2011.
In Oakland, he took home two Manager of the Year awards, in 2012 and 2018, and he had one in 2007 with Arizona.
In total, he has a 1,346-1,272 record and a .514 winning percentage as an MLB manager.
However, he has a 10-17 record in the postseason and that is surely something he wants to change.
Oakland, most of the time, gave him good but not great rosters to work with and dream with a deep playoffs run.
The Padres have the roster and the resources to support him and help him get to the World Series one day.
You could say that Melvin’s hire could be a win-win situation for both the manager and the team.
NEXT: Padres Decide To Fire Jayce Tingler After Late-Season Collapse
