Melvin Now Giants Manager Front-Runner as Padres Grant Interview

The San Francisco Giants are considering Bob Melvin as the front-runner for the managerial position after Gabe Kapler's firing.

The San Francisco Giants recently fired manager Gabe Kapler, leading to speculation about who would be his replacement. Despite the San Diego Padres' president of baseball operations, A.J. Preller, announcing that Bob Melvin would remain as their manager, sources have indicated that Melvin is actually the front-runner for the Giants' managerial position.

Although Melvin was not technically available for the Giants' search, that changed when the team requested and received permission to interview him. This news solidifies Melvin as the top candidate for the job, which the Giants hope to fill before the start of free agency. Melvin has a strong relationship with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who previously worked with him during his time with the Oakland A's. Additionally, Melvin has support at the ownership level, making him an attractive choice for the Giants.

Melvin has an impressive managerial career, having won the Manager of the Year award three times. If he takes the Giants job, it will complete a tour of the West Coast for him, as he has previously managed the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, A's, and Padres. Melvin is a Bay Area native, having attended Menlo-Atherton High School and Cal. He also played three seasons as a catcher for the Giants in the 1980s.

The Giants initially considered internal candidates for the managerial position, interviewing Kai Correa, Mark Hallberg, and Alyssa Nakken. However, their search has expanded to external candidates, including former big league catchers Stephen Vogt and Jason Varitek. Nick Hundley declined the opportunity to interview. Nonetheless, the focus of the search is now on Melvin.

It is worth noting that Melvin reportedly had disagreements with Preller during the Padres' disappointing season. This parallels the Giants' previous experience of bringing in former San Diego manager Bruce Bochy, who went on to achieve great success with the team. The Giants hope that history will repeat itself with Melvin, and that he can bring them closer to a World Series title.