The A’s are bringing longtime manager Bob Melvin back to the organization, albeit in a new role. The team announced Thursday that Melvin is returning as a special assistant in the baseball operations department. Details regarding these types of roles are typically vague but often include working with young players in camp and serving as an in-season resource for both the front office and coaching staff.
Melvin, 64, managed the Athletics from 2011-21, leading the then-Oakland club to the postseason on six occasions. Despite perennially working with one of the lowest payrolls in the league — oftentimes the lowest — Melvin led the A’s to an 853-764 record during his 11 seasons at the helm (.528 winning percentage). He was voted the American League Manager of the Year in both 2012 and 2018, and he also won NL Manager of the Year honors with Arizona back in 2007.
The 2026 season will be the first year since 2010 — and just the second year since 2003 — that Melvin has not been a big league manager. Despite Melvin still being under contract in Oakland, the A’s allowed him to interview with the Padres and take the managing job in San Diego following the 2021 season. That was a largely financial decision by the A’s. Melvin was reportedly earning around $4MM per season, and the A’s were aggressively cutting payroll as they both rebuilt the farm system and prepped for a potential relocation.
Melvin spent two years in San Diego, taking the Padres to the NLCS in 2022 before missing the playoffs entirely in 2023. Melvin and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller reportedly clashed at various points, however, and the tension between the two grew to the point that Melvin was granted permission to interview with the division-rival Giants despite being under contract through 2024. The Giants hired Melvin, while the Padres replaced him with former Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt.
As was the case in San Diego, Melvin stayed two years but departed while still under contract for an additional season. Farhan Zaidi was San Francisco’s president of baseball operations when Melvin was hired, but as is often the case, a new front office regime eventually gave way to new dugout leadership.
Giants ownership fired Zaidi following the 2024 campaign and installed franchise icon (and board member) Buster Posey as the new baseball operations leader. Posey exercised a 2026 club option on Melvin back in July, but less than three months later Posey announced that Melvin had been fired. The Giants went outside the box and hired University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello to replace Melvin.
It’s been a tumultuous few years for Melvin, but he’ll now return to the organization that provided him stability for more than a decade. He’ll be an experienced voice with plenty of perspective for general manager David Forst to consult and can also offer various insights to the Athletics’ young core and a coaching staff that’s now run by fifth-year skipper Mark Kotsay.
It would be interesting to see Melvin back in the dugout when the A’s become a contender again, which might be pretty soon.
I don’t think the A’s or any other MLB Team is dumb enough to let him manage again.
As a former A’s fan I loved Melvin. First season in San Diego was fantastic, 2nd a bust. Next chance in SF obviously no success but realistically what was the expectation either season? Roster wise they were obviously behind Dodgers, and I’d say Padres as well. They had a team to compete with D-Backs for 3rd, in my opinion. I wouldn’t argue that he deserves another shot leading a dugout, but I’m a little taken back by the comment that a team would be dumb to give him that chance again. Do you think he lost the clubhouses in SD/SF or more based on performance? I’m my eyes he led a team that overachieved year 1 then underachieved year 2 in SD, then led a team that played to reasonable expectations in both years in SF.
But I’m also a biased fan of his from Oakland years so I’m just curious to hear what SD/SF fans have to say, or outside fans.
Seems like he has rubbed his GMs wrong a bunch. I remember always hearing about tensions even in Oakland with Beane. He has produced enough success to be worth it and stay employed but has really been moving around a lot the last few years.
i didnt hate melvin in SF, i guess the FO expected him to get at least 90 wins. i dont see it w that roster
Melvin was successful everywhere he managed except San Francisco. I think most Giant fans were optimistic when he got hired but his emotionless managing style started rubbing G fans the wrong way when the Giants didn’t play well. Buster countered with a high energy manager with Vitello.
with
Giants
Beane wasn’t involved with day-to-day operations after 2015. David Forst had the helm by then. Melvin’s problem has always been managing a pitching staff, especially the bullpen. It was Melvin who left Jon Lester out too long in the 2014 Wild Card against the KC Royals. Sean Doolittle imploded in the playoffs as did Grant Balfour.
Separately he allowed Josh Reddick to behave like a spoiled brat and refused to move him down in the batting order when the Tigers clearly had him overmatched. So many missed opportunities…
Sleepy Bob lost the clubhouse in San Diego so badly that the players had a players only meeting, complained about Melvin to the FO, and Preller handed the job to his bench coach in everything other than name for the last month of the season. Christensen and Flaherty had been making the in-game decisions along with Niebla all season anyway. All Sleepy Bob did was write out the lineup cards and meet with his coaches prior to the game about the game plan, then everything else was handled by Christensen, Flaherty, and Niebla. He rarely spoke with players.
The Padres allowed him to walk away from his contract after that season with no compensation because they didn’t want him there.
Melvin didn’t even have mandatory practice for the players. They got to decide if they wanted to practice or not. Can you imagine that?
Then he started ignoring Preller and the analytics staff. Refused to even take calls from the analytics department and publicly complained about having to talk to Preller daily.
Even with Melvin refusing to do his job that team almost made the playoffs after Preller in essence sent him to the bench.
In 2024 the Giants were the same +700 odds to win the West as the Padres. They ended up 2 games under .500 while the Padres won 93 games. The Dodgers were a -1500 favorite to win the West.
He was not successful with the Mariners.
We will see what happens with that.
Meanwhile Bo Mel double dips this year and makes a killing. Good gig, if you can get it.
2014 was the hardest year for me as a fan until they left. So dominant in the first half, and then seemed to lose anyway possible 2nd half. WC opportunity seemed like a reset chance, and Moss almost willed it himself. I agree with the points you noted but I will say even though Lester’s stat line was terrible, Jed Lowrie never was an SS and I remember multiple “hits” that a capable SS fields. Still not a great game by Lester, but I think it’s a much better game with a different SS. Beyond that though, so much bad luck for the A’s. Soto gets hurt, then Royals steal 7 bases off of Norris! Yes, Lester couldn’t keep runners at bay, but it’s a different game with Soto behind the dish. Coco Crisp getting hurt as well so we have Johnny Gomes in the OF and there was a crucial play not made that Coco would have. Dunn not getting an AB… and game ending on a ball of gold glove Donaldson’s glove. Royals just wouldn’t die, hat tip. But man it was a tough game to swallow.
Tigers series I was pissed they carried 3 catchers and only Vogt played. Not sure if that’s on FO or Melvin or a breakdown between the two, but that was a glaring issue. Different Tigers series and involving Reddick I can’t get past VMarts HR. Fan touches ball that Reddick had a play on. Maybe it’s a stretch to say it was even a coin flip if he catches that ball without fan obstruction, but Reddick made some insane catches in that period and he had a chance. More for me though was to that point I viewed those calls going against home team fans, and in this case they rewarded fan/team for home field obstruction.
My biggest gripe with Melvin was he often seemed too passive with umps. He didn’t need to be Bobby Cox or Lou Pinella, but I would have liked to have seen him ream umps for bad calls more often and get tossed. I think the team could have used that, even if it sounds corny. In the end, I’m a BoMel fan but respect other input and a good discussion on it.
93 wins his first year with the Mariners was successful. Not so much his second year.
Yeah…it all started great. I’m sure he learned from it but they had to make a change.
Thanks Kirk, just for making us aware you don’t know baseball.
I’ve always thought Melvin was over rated.
It’s pretty hard to be overrated if you can get to the playoffs with the athletics payroll support
Great Manager.
Great Front Office move also.
Clashes with some micromanaging POBs that can irk many
veteran Managers.
AJ cycles through a lot of managers.
He likes the younger, inexperienced managers.
It is a relationship business.
The A’s have a long term, successful relationship with Melvin.
In that labor intensive job, you are likely to spend more time with
your co workers than with your wife and kids.
So, you better get along or it is not gonna work.
Source?
Sports needs as many stewards of the name Bob as we can get nowadays.
Sleepy Bob gets a new gig.
Good career baseball man with a ton of institutional wisdom, but I always wondered why Frank Robinson gave him starts at 1st and DH in 1989-90 when there were better RHB available and they didn’t really need to rest Randy Milligan.
I’m impressed this is something you still think about after 35 years. It looks like Melvin played a total of 2 innings at 1st for the birds across three seasons.
19 games and at least 9 starts at DH, though.
Splits vs LHP weren’t bad, but I’m sure there were better options most of the time.
Also the baffling question of why put Tettleton behind the plate and Melvin in a hitter-only spot.
I made six pieces of toast for breakfast one morning in early February 1989.
Hope you didn’t make that a lifelong habit unless you were carbo loading. 1989 was the famous “Why not?” Oriole season.
Bill I can still make 6 to 8 pieces of toast and eat that for breakfast. I love toast. I don’t care one single bit about carbs calories saturated fat none of it. Wasn’t 1989 the year after they started out 0-21?
Do you remember eating all six slices?
Yeah. Good stuff.
Imagine you own the Giants. What does Buster Posey say to explain why he agreed to pay Melvin for the 2026 campaign only to change his mind a few months later that makes it make sense and seem like a rational decision?
I understand the sentiment, but it is really common for teams to extend a manager or front office position heading into a “lame duck” last season of contract guarantee. Not an advocate for that strategy, just saying that it happens all the time. I also think Buster will have a long leash, being a franchise icon.
They may have done it purposefully. Give him the money to walk away happy. Makes them look better to potential new hires.
They picked up his 2026 option in July of 2025 and then fired him in September of 2025.
Really strange set of moves.
Wade Boggs only in the baseball world would that apply.
Soxfan I wondered this exact same thing in this comment section back when it happened and I must’ve had 15 people jump all over me telling me how stupid I am and how I don’t understand how baseball works and that little bit of money means nothing to them. They were telling me these things happen all the time in baseball. I wonder if you’re gonna get destroyed like I did for wondering this?
It’s a very valid question. Either they changed their minds and ate the money or they were “being nice” and ate it. I would think the former is more likely but the latter isn’t impossible.
Wade my point back then was a mistake by one man cost the company millions of dollars. They obviously changed their mind but in the real world careers would be ruined over a mistake like that. I know most people won’t even have a clue what I’m talking about.
If the A’s get off to a bad start Melvin will be ready to take over before the season is lost in May.
You know you are old when you are older than Bob Melvin….
Yeah. He was old at birth.
Like Sparky Anderson.
Bob Melvin, Yankees legend.
I was watching the Kurtz game again, 6-6 4HR, 8RBI, there is a clip on the YouTube. Epic game and epic highlight reel.
Kurtz hit a three-run homer to the opposite field in the ninth inning, it was pandemonium, the crowd was in disbelief, the announcers were in disbelief, the entire A’s bench was in an uproar and the game is a wrap, its 15-2 A’s in the ninth.
The bench is still celebrating and nobody is paying attention to the game and Cooper Hummell drills Colby Thomas between the shoulder blades with a heater, nobody on the A’s bench notices because they were all falling over Kurtz.
Poor Colby Thomas got left in Kurtz’s wake that night.
It is really funny if you ask me. Worth a watch, a great reel on the youtube.