The Giants have signed manager Bob Melvin to a three-year contract through the 2026 MLB season, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi announced during an introductory news conference Wednesday at Oracle Park.
In addition, Zaidi has agreed in principle to a contract extension until 2026, Giants chairman Greg Johnson announced a few moments later.
Zaidi’s contract still had one year left, but now he and Melvin are tied to each other for the next three seasons.
Melvin had one year left on his contract with the San Diego Padres, and Zaidi acknowledged that no compensation would be exchanged between the NL West rivals.
“I just want to once again express our appreciation for the fact that they have been flexible and accommodating in this,” Zaidi told reporters.
While Melvin was still under contract with the Padres, he said he wasn’t surprised that San Diego general manager AJ Preller allowed him to interview for another managerial position.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with AJ,” Melvin told reporters. “When he showed up, he was probably the only one I would have listened to. But he was kind enough to tell me about it and ask my opinion about it, and we had a few conversations. So the answer is “Yes.”
The Giants are Melvin’s fifth managerial job after the Seattle Mariners (two seasons), the Arizona Diamondbacks (five seasons), the Oakland Athletics (eleven seasons) and the Padres (the last two seasons). He comes to San Francisco with a 1,517-1,425 regular-season record and three Manager of the Year awards (2007, 2012 and 2018).
The Giants released Gabe Kapler with three games left in the 2023 MLB season and began searching for their next manager, but it was clear from the start that Melvin was their first choice and they were able to land him after a short interview process .
The Padres gave the Giants permission to interview Melvin on Sunday, and three days later he was introduced as the 39th manager in franchise history.
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