The San Diego Padres were led by manager Bob Melvin in 2023.
They started the year with huge expectations after making it all the way to the National League Championship Series in 2022.
However, they found things way harder this year, as they finished with an 82-80 record and shockingly missed the postseason.
The tough campaign resulted in the front office starting to have some doubts in Melvin and his ability to lead the Padres.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants were also in the race, and were left out of the postseason as well.
Whereas the Padres didn’t immediately announce their intentions to fire Melvin, the Giants did dismiss manager Gabe Kapler and are looking to replace him.
Oddly, the Giants are looking at Melvin, who is under contract in San Diego for one more season.
The two teams appear to be paving the way for Melvin to join San Francisco, although nothing is official yet.
“News from @extrabaggs and me: The Padres have granted a Giants request to interview Bob Melvin for manager. And Melvin has emerged as a leading candidate for San Francisco,” Padres insider Dennis Lin tweeted.
Fans, of course, have inundated Twitter with reactions to the news.
Some of them correctly point out that the fact the Padres are willing to let Melvin go to a direct rival is odd, to say the least.
I don’t understand why they would grant permission especially to a team in division. Not a fan of this move
— Herb Lawrence (@Ecnerwal23) October 22, 2023
You could say that Padres fans don’t like the move.
This doesn’t sound like “excellence” to me @PedroPadre77.
— David Roberto (@DRS_74) October 22, 2023
Huge mistake by the Padres
— King B.A.V. (@KingBAV) October 22, 2023
I grant permission for any the other 29 teams to take AJ Preller off of our hands. Further compensation can be added if necessary
— Angelo in SD (@AngeloInSD) October 22, 2023
Melvin is not perfect, but he is a highly respected manager around baseball and Padres fans, in general, don’t want to see him go.
The post Fans React To Surprising Bob Melvin News appeared first on The Cold Wire.