The Padres managerial picture may not be set after all.
According to media reports, Bob Melvin, the Friars’ manager for two years, has received permission to interview with the San Francisco Giants, another National League West club, for its vacant skipper position.
The Athletic first reported the news Sunday.
Speculation has swirled about Melvin on two fronts – his alleged poor relationship with Padres executive A.J. Preller and San Francisco’s interest in him as a fit for the Giants.
The latter talk began after the Giants dismissed Gabe Kapler just days before the season’s end.
Should he receive an offer from the Giants, it would be more than a baseball homecoming for Melvin. Sure, he managed the Oakland Athletics for more than a decade before arriving in San Diego, but he’s also a Bay Area native who attended college there and even was a member of the Giants during his 10-year playing career.
Nobody was talking Sunday. Neither team confirmed the report, according to MLB.com; nor did Melvin or Preller, who could not be reached for comment.
The Padres finished third in the NL West, three games ahead of the Giants. But at just two games over .500, they fell far short of expectations, as everyone from baseball observers to pundits to fans, predicted they would finally be able to challenge the Dodgers’ supremacy in the division.
