The San Diego Padres appear to be giving manager Bob Melvin the green light to leave the team after two tumultuous seasons.
The Padres have given the San Francisco Giants permission to interview Melvin for their managerial vacancy, according to Dennis Lin and Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Melvin instantly becomes the favorite to land the Giants job, and it suggests that the Padres are ready and willing to move on from him.
News of the Giants’ interest in Melvin emerged earlier in the week. At that point, it was unclear if the Padres would actually let him leave, especially for an NL West rival. That now appears to be a risk they are willing to take.
While the Padres had indicated they were going to bring Melvin back, there were reasons to doubt that. Multiple reports suggested there is major tension between Melvin and general manager AJ Preller, and Preller may be eager to bring in a manager who will be more in alignment with him. If the two sides are at this point, it seems unlikely that Melvin would pass on the Giants opportunity, or that the Giants would be interested in anyone else.
