Guardians Designate Kolby Allard For Assignment
The Guardians designated left-hander Kolby Allard for assignment Thursday, per a team announcement. Between Allard’s DFA and right-hander Luis Ortiz‘s placement on paid administrative leave while he is the subject of a gambling investigation by the league, Cleveland needed to fill a pair of roster spots. They’ve recalled lefties Joey Cantillo and Doug Nikhazy from Triple-A to round out the staff. Cantillo will start tonight’s game in place of Ortiz.
Allard, 27, was a first-round pick by the Braves back in 2015. He ranked among Atlanta’s most promising young pitchers for several years but never established himself in the rotation there, in no small part due to a series of back injuries that limited his time on the field and impacted his production when he was able to take the mound.
Atlanta traded Allard to Texas in exchange for Chris Martin back in 2019, and he spent parts of four seasons struggling as an up-and-down member of the Rangers’ staff. He returned to the Braves in 2023 and spent 2024 with the Phillies, getting hit hard in both stops. By the time Cleveland signed Allard to a minor league deal this past offseason, he had a career 5.99 ERA in 272 innings.
On the surface, things have gone well for Allard in Cleveland. He’s pitched 35 1/3 innings, mostly in long relief, and posted a terrific 2.55 earned run average. That number doesn’t tell the whole story, however; Allard’s 10.5% strikeout rate is the lowest among the 318 pitchers who’ve tossed at least 30 innings in 2025. Entering the season, he’d seen nearly 16% of the fly-balls he’s allowed in his career land over the fence as home runs. He’s at just 3.6% in that regard this year, which seems bound to regress — as does his 81% strand rate (66% entering the season). Allard’s 3.60 FIP is more than a full run north of his actual ERA, and metrics like xFIP (5.19) and SIERA (5.07), which normalize that fluky home run rate, are even more bearish.
The Guardians will either trade Allard or place him on waivers within the next five days. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so he’ll know the outcome of his DFA within a week’s time. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, Allard will be able to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency — as is his right as a player who’s previously been outrighted in his career. Any team that takes a flier on Allard would be able to control him through the 2026 season via arbitration.
Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon
As the Yankees search for infield upgrades to address their need for either a second baseman or third baseman — Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play either spot — they’ve reached out to the Rockies regarding the potential availability of Ryan McMahon, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. While the Rockies have been unwilling to entertain offers for McMahon in the past, Heyman suggests that they’re willing to listen this time around as they barrel toward a potentially historic loss total in 2025. He adds that New York has yet to contact the D-backs about Eugenio Suarez, though that has more to do with Arizona being within arm’s reach of a Wild Card spot (three games back) than a lack of interest.
McMahon would bring a major upgrade to a Yankees infield that has felt one player short all season. Chisholm has split his time almost evenly between second base (251 innings) and third base (214 innings), performing well with the bat at both spots. He’s hitting .240/.339/.490 on the season and has swatted 14 homers to go along with 10 steals. His 28.2% strikeout rate is up nearly four percentage points over his 2024 levels, but Chisholm’s 11.5% walk rate is far and away a career-high mark.
Chisholm told The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner earlier this week that he knows he’s a better defender at second base and that he’d prefer to be playing there if all else were equal, but he’s happy to do “whatever it takes to help the team win.” A trade for McMahon (or another third baseman) could kill two birds with one stone: solidify the hot corner and get Chisholm back to the position at which he’s most comfortable and best-suited to play.
Earlier this year, it looked as though the Rockies may have missed the boat on trading McMahon. He drew considerable interest in the weeks and months leading into last summer’s trade deadline, but McMahon is reportedly a favorite of Rox owner Dick Monfort, who wasn’t keen on shipping out an All-Star infielder who’s signed affordably through 2027. McMahon wound up falling into a deep slump over the season’s final two months and started the 2025 campaign with the least-productive month of his big league tenure. He entered the month of May hitting just .147/.273/.235 with a sky-high 35.5% strikeout rate.
McMahon homered on May 1, however, and it’s been business as usual for him since. He’s largely back into All-Star form, hitting at a .253/.343/.468 clip with 10 homers, nine doubles and a triple in his past 216 turns at the plate. It should be noted that he’s currently in a bit of a cold spell, with just two hits and 11 strikeouts in his past 23 plate appearances, but nothing so drastic or prolonged as his swoon from August through April (.179/.272/.275, 320 plate appearances). He’s still hitting only .216/.318/.387 on the season because of that disastrous first month, but the trend lines in May and most of June were quite favorable.
On top of his resurgent bat, McMahon has maintained his status as a premium defensive player. Both Defensive Runs Saved (3) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (3) grade him as a positive in 2025. He’s not on quite the same pace as he was in 4434 innings from 2021-24 (50 DRS, 38 OAA), but McMahon is an unequivocal plus defender at the hot corner who also has ample experience and strong defensive grades at second base.
McMahon’s contract is surely appealing to the Yankees as well. He’s not necessarily a raucous bargain, but the former No. 42 overall draft pick is being paid $12MM this season and is owed $16MM in both 2026 and 2027. The Yankees would pay a 110% tax on his contract’s annual value, given their status as a third-time offender in the top tier of luxury penalization, but McMahon’s six-year, $70MM extension is still well shy of the market rate for a plus defensive third baseman with 25-homer pop.
Heyman also suggests that Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is at least “on the Yankees’ radar” as a change of scenery candidate, though he’d be a pure project. Hayes is an elite defender whose offensive output has cratered after recurring back troubles have popped up in recent years. He’s playing out an eight-year, $70MM contract signed with Pittsburgh prior to those back troubles surfacing. The Pirates owe him a $7MM salary this season and are on the hook for an additional $36MM over the contract’s final four guaranteed seasons (2026-29).
Hayes is hitting well over the past three weeks (.324/.342/.405 in 76 plate appearances), but it’d be a pretty big leap of faith to expect that to continue, considering the 28-year-old’s composite .239/.289/.297 slash in 714 plate appearances dating back to Opening Day 2024. Still, given the strength of his glove, his above-average speed and solid contact skills, Hayes at least makes sense for infield-needy clubs to track as a long-shot trade candidate.
Nabil Crismatt Opts Out Of Phillies Deal
Right-hander Nabil Crismatt triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal with the Phillies and has been granted his release, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’s now a free agent who can sign with any club.
Crismatt, 30, has pitched in parts of five major league seasons between the Padres, Cardinals, D-backs and Dodgers. He’s worked almost exclusively as a reliever, logging a 3.71 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout rate, a 7.2% walk rate and a 50.3% ground-ball rate in 177 big league innings.
It’s a nice track record out of the ‘pen, but the Phillies opted to stretch Crismatt out and deploy him out of the rotation in Triple-A. He’s spent about half his time in parts of seven Triple-A seasons in that role. Crismatt has pitched well in 15 starts with the Phillies’ top affiliate in Lehigh Valley, recording a 3.81 ERA in 80 1/3 innings. His 16.3% strikeout rate and 88.1 mph average fastball are well below average, but he’s only allowed a 5.1% walk rate.
Crismatt doesn’t have a dominant major league track record, but he’s pitched well in low-leverage settings and regularly avoided hard contact. He’s been particularly sharp of late in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.12 ERA and walking only two batters over his past 26 innings. Teams in search of depth in the rotation or some length in the bullpen could take a low-cost look at the well-traveled righty.
Giants, Matt Gage Agree To Minor League Deal
The Giants and lefty Matt Gage have agreed to a minor league contract, per his transaction log at MLB.com. The Paragon Sports client has been assigned to Triple-A Sacramento for the time being. Gage was designated for assignment by the Tigers last week and elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.
The 32-year-old Gage tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings for the Tigers this season, bringing his career totals to 25 1/3 frames of 1.42 ERA ball. That’s come in small looks across parts of three seasons with Toronto, Houston and Detroit. Gage doesn’t throw especially hard, sitting 91.9 mph with his four-seamer this season, but he’s still fanned a solid 22.5% of his big league opponents against a more elevated 10.8% walk rate.
Despite those strong big league results, Gage has never gotten an extended look. He’s spent the bulk of his career in Triple-A, where he carries a 4.64 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate in 316 1/3 innings. He was excellent with the Tigers’ top affiliate this season, however, pitching 32 1/3 innings with a 1.67 ERA, a 22.8% strikeout rate and a vastly improved 3.3% walk rate.
San Francisco currently has two lefties in the bullpen: Erik Miller and Joey Lucchesi. The former has a tidy 1.50 ERA on the season but has more combined walks (20) and hit batters (3) than he does strikeouts (22), which makes his ability to sustain that production questionable, at best. Lucchesi was only recently summoned to the majors and has allowed three runs in six innings so far. Gage will provide another depth option beyond that pair as the Giants jostle with the Mets, Brewers, Padres, Cardinals, Reds and D-backs in a tightly contested NL Wild Card race. At present, San Francisco sits a half-game back from the final Wild Card position.
Orioles Designate Matt Bowman For Assignment, Select Corbin Martin
The Orioles announced today that they have recalled right-hander Yennier Cano and selected the contract of right-hander Corbin Martin. In corresponding moves, they have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment and placed left-hander Keegan Akin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 1st, due to left shoulder inflammation.
Martin, 29, was a top-100 prospect with the Astros and D-backs several years ago. He was one of four players who went from Houston to Arizona in the 2019 Zack Greinke trade, but while he saw MLB time with both the ‘Stros and Snakes, he’s never really found his footing. Martin, who was on the mend from Tommy John surgery when he was included in that trade, has pitched 57 2/3 innings in the majors and recorded only a 6.71 ERA. He’s fanned 19% of his opponents against a 13.6% walk rate and been far too susceptible to home runs, yielding an average of 2.50 big flies per nine frames.
The Orioles claimed Martin off waivers from the Brewers last June. (Milwaukee had claimed him from Arizona a couple months earlier.) He was eventually removed from the 40-man roster but now returns after pitching 32 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA in Triple-A Norfolk this year. He’s set down 23% of his opponents on strikes against a 10.4% walk rate. It’s not a great set of season-long numbers, but Martin has been doing his best work of late. Dating back to May 30, he’s pitched a dozen innings and held opponents to just one run on three hits and four walks with 11 punchouts. If he gets into a game, it’ll be his first time on a major league mound since 2022.
Bowman, 34, has now been designated for assignment by the Orioles three times since Opening Day. He’s accepted a pair of outright assignments to Norfolk previously. The right-hander has appeared in 19 games for Baltimore this season but pitched to a middling 5.79 earned run average. In 23 1/3 innings, he’s fanned only 15.7% of his opponents. Bowman’s 5.6% walk rate is excellent, but he’s also plunked a pair of batters and served up four home runs (1.54 HR/9).
In parts of seven big league seasons, Bowman has pitched for seven different teams — including four in 2024 alone. He’s compiled 239 1/3 innings in the majors and recorded a collective 4.32 ERA, 18.7% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The O’s will trade him or place him on outright waivers within the next five days. If his prior DFAs this year are any indication, there’s a good chance Bowman will clear waivers and agree to head back to Norfolk while he awaits another call to Camden Yards.
Cano was only optioned to Norfolk last week, but he can return in under the 10-day minimum stint for an optional assignment because he’s replacing the injured Akin. The 30-year-old Akin has been an important part of the Orioles’ bullpen this season, pitching 38 innings of 3.32 ERA ball with a 23.3% strikeout rate and an uncharacteristically high 11% walk rate. Entering the season, Akin had just a 7.4% walk rate in more than 300 MLB frames.
Akin has cut back on the free passes lately — none in his past 4 2/3 innings — but Akin was roughed up for three runs (two earned) in an inning of work his last time out. There was no velocity drop or major signal that the left-hander’s shoulder was giving him trouble, but today’s IL placement means he’ll sit through at least the All-Star break as he mends.
Yankees Designate Geoff Hartlieb For Assignment
The Yankees announced that right-hander Clayton Beeter has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fellow righty Geoff Hartlieb has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
The 31-year-old Hartlieb only joined the Yankees yesterday. He pitched one inning, was tagged for three runs in that lone appearance, and will now give way to a fresh arm. It’s not how Hartlieb envisioned his call-up in the Bronx going, particularly not after such a strong performance in Triple-A. He pitched 35 innings for the Yankees’ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate and logged a 3.34 ERA with a 26.2% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. That success came with some tweaks to his pitch usage, as the Yankees have had Hartlieb throw his slider at the highest rate of his career so far in 2025.
Hartlieb won’t get the chance to rebound from that rough outing — at least not with the Yankees’ big league club. He’ll be traded or placed on waivers within the next five days. He’s been outrighted in the past, so if he goes unclaimed, he could reject an outright assignment to the minors and instead choose free agency.
The Yankees were Hartlieb’s fifth big league club. He’s also pitched with the Pirates, Mets, Rockies and Marlins. The right-hander has logged only 80 1/3 innings in the majors and been tagged for an unsightly 7.62 ERA. Hartlieb carries a much more presentable 4.17 ERA in 261 Triple-A innings.
Twins Place Bailey Ober On IL With Hip Impingement
The Twins have placed right-hander Bailey Ober on the 15-day injured list with a left hip impingement. Left-hander Kody Funderburk has been recalled to take his active roster spot for now, though Ober was scheduled to start Friday’s game, so the club will need to figure out their rotation plans in the coming days. The club also announced that infielder Jonah Bride, who was designated for assignment last week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Saint Paul. Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reported the moves prior to the official announcement.
The towering 6’9″ Ober has been a constant in the Twins’ rotation dating back to 2021. He’s been a steady mid-rotation presence along the way, logging 471 1/3 innings with a 3.76 ERA (3.75 SIERA) from 2021-24. The 2025 season looked like more of the same. Ober was trounced for eight runs in his first start of the season but quickly righted the ship. By the end of May, he was sitting on a tidy 3.48 ERA despite that brutal first outing of the year.
The wheels came off completely last month, however. Ober started five games and yielded between four and seven runs in all of them. Opponents connected on an astonishing 14 home runs last month alone — more than half the amount he yielded all season in 2023 (22 homers) or in 2024 (27 homers). The long ball has always been somewhat of an issue for Ober, which isn’t a shock as a right-hander with sub-par fastball velocity, but last month’s sudden spike was alarming nonetheless.
Ober becomes the Twins’ third starter to hit the injured list in the past five weeks, joining ace Pablo López and top prospect Zebby Matthews. They’d already optioned Simeon Woods Richardson, who struggled after opening the season in the fifth spot, but he’s returned amid the recent injuries.
With Ober sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period, the Twins will go with Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, recent top prospect David Festa and Woods Richardson in the rotation. Prospects Travis Adams or Andrew Morris could get a look in the rotation moving forward, and Minnesota also claimed righty Connor Gillispie off waivers from the Marlins last week, providing a bit of additional depth.
It’s also possible the Twins will look outside the organization for more depth, as they already did late last month when signing José Ureña to a minor league deal. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey already acknowledged that he’d had some trade talks about adding more pitching in the wake of the Lopez and Matthews injuries, and further health woes could spur more urgency as the reeling Twins look to stay relevant in the AL playoff picture.
Bride, 29, came to the Twins in exchange for cash earlier this season after the Marlins had designated him for assignment. He posted a strong .276/.357/.461 slash and popped 11 homers in 71 games for Miami as recently as 2024, but he went 4-for-40 with a 33.3% strikeout rate in Miami to begin the season and batted only .208/.275/.236 in 80 plate appearances with Minnesota. Bride is a career .221/.311/.313 hitter in parts of four major league seasons but hasn’t had any success at the plate outside last year’s showing. Because Bride has fewer than three years of MLB service and has never been outrighted in the past, he can’t reject in favor of free agency. He’ll head to St. Paul and stick with the organization as a depth piece.
Latest On Mariners’ Deadline Approach
The Mariners are reportedly seeking corner infield and bullpen help as the deadline approaches, and MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer reported recently that ownership has signaled it will approve a payroll increase to facilitate such transactions. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times hears similarly, writing that Mariners ownership will authorize increased spending for the front office to add to the roster while ticking through some potential options.
Both Ryan O’Hearn of the Orioles and Josh Naylor of the D-backs are viewed as likely trade candidates over the next month. Both would fit the Mariners nicely at first base, allowing Luke Raley to spend more time in the outfield, where he’s more comfortable than at first base. However, early asking prices from both Baltimore and Arizona are quite high, per Jude.
O’Hearn has repeatedly elevated his game in recent seasons and now stands as one of the most productive hitters in the American League. He’s currently sitting on a .295/.383/.471 batting line with 11 homers, 10 doubles, an 11% walk rate and just a 16.3% strikeout rate through 282 plate appearances. He had a tough month in June, but since being traded from Kansas City to Baltimore in the 2022-23 offseason, O’Hearn has proven himself to be a credible middle-of-the-order bat. He hasn’t quite sustained last year’s enormous gains in contact rate, but he’s chasing off the plate at a career-low rate, walking more and showing a bit more power than he did in 2024.
Naylor offers a similar, albeit not identical skill set. Last year’s career-high 31 homers are far more than O’Hearn has ever produced, though some of that is a simple function of playing time. Naylor logged 633 plate appearances in 2024 (a career-high); O’Hearn has never topped last year’s 494 trips to the plate. Both have above-average power with far better contact skills than the prototypical first baseman/designated hitter. Naylor has fanned only 13% of the time he’s come to the plate in 2025. His 8% walk rate is a bit below average, but his overall .304/.359/.474 slash is terrific.
Looking strictly at 2025, O’Hearn has been a bit more impactful in the batter’s box, but the pair’s last three seasons are virtually identical. Naylor has slashed .279/.340/.472 in 1452 plate appearances, while O’Hearn has turned in a .280/.342/.455 line in 1144 plate appearances. They’ve both walked in 8% of their plate appearances. On a rate basis, Naylor has shown a slight bit more power (.193 ISO to .175), but the difference is minimal. The two are compensated similarly, but Naylor is paid a bit more: $10.9MM to O’Hearn’s $8MM. Both are free agents at season’s end.
In a more interesting but also far less plausible scenario, Jude further reports that the Mariners would have interest if the Red Sox were to make Alex Bregman available. That perhaps speaks to ownership’s willingness to add to the payroll, although presumably, the M’s would be looking for the Sox to at least help with some of Bregman’s heavily deferred $40MM annual salary.
The idea of a Bregman trade is interesting in theory but hard to envision in practice. Players with opt-out clauses and player options are rarely traded, and the massive scale of Bregman’s annual salary only further muddies his candidacy.
In broad terms, it’s difficult for two clubs to line up on prospect compensation for a player with multiple years remaining on his contract but the ability to opt back into free agency at season’s end. The acquiring team generally views that player as a rental — typically an expensive one, salary-wise. In a best-case scenario, that player will produce for two-plus months and then head back to free agency. In a worst-case scenario, he’ll suffer a major injury or see his performance tank, only to forgo the opt-out chance and stick the new club with an unwanted additional year (or years) of the contract in question. The acquiring team will understandably try to price that downside into the prospect return, making it difficult for the two parties to align.
On top of the difficulties surrounding Bregman’s salary and opt-out provision, he’s also been away from the field for more than a month. The Red Sox placed Bregman on the 10-day injured list with a strained quadriceps back on May 24. It was clear at the time that he was facing a lengthy absence. Bregman is inching closer to a return and could be back prior to the All-Star break, but an injury absence of nearly two months and a return only about two weeks prior to the trade deadline creates some risk (to say nothing of the potential for Bregman to struggle upon his return, which would only raise further questions).
Prior to his injury, Bregman was enjoying one of the finest starts of his entire career. He’s played 51 games and taken 226 plate appearances, turning in a stout .299/.385/.553 batting line with 11 homers and 17 doubles. His 9.7% walk rate is up three percentage points over last year’s career-low mark. Bregman was also striking out at a career-high 18.6% rate, but that’s still several points shy of league-average and the uptick in swing-and-miss was accompanied by major gains in batted-ball quality. The 31-year-old’s 92 mph average exit velocity is vastly higher than the 88.8 mph career mark he carried into the season. Ditto his 10.3% barrel rate (career 5.7% prior to ’25) and 48.1% hard-hit rate (career 37.7% prior to ’25).
Bregman is signed through 2027 on a three-year, $120MM contract. Deferrals bring the present-day annual value down closer to a reported $29MM. He can opt out of the contract both at the end of the current season and after the 2026 season but has spoken openly about his interest in signing a long-term extension that’d keep him in Boston more permanently. That’s not exactly a surprise for a player who entered last offseason seeking a long-term deal worth $200MM or more and wound up pivoting to an opt-out-laden, short-term deal with a lofty AAV once that long-term pact didn’t materialize, however.
Ultimately, while it’s fun to dream on the notion of a major trade involving someone of Bregman’s caliber, the specifics surrounding his contract and health — to say nothing of Boston’s uncertain buy/sell status four weeks out from the deadline — render it more a theoretical discussion than a genuine possibility at this stage.
The Mariners entered the 2025 season with a $146MM payroll — third-highest in franchise history. They’ve already added to that ledger with a surprising May claim of outfielder Leody Taveras, which didn’t pan out as hoped. That claim already showed a willingness from ownership to spend a bit more, however, and it bears mentioning that M’s ownership also green-lit payroll hikes for both the 2024 acquisition of Randy Arozarena and the 2022 acquisition of Luis Castillo (as well as his subsequent extension).
Jake Woodford Opts Out Of Cubs Deal
Right-hander Jake Woodford triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Cubs and has been granted his release, MLBTR has learned. He’s once again a free agent and can explore opportunities with any team.
Woodford, 28, has split the regular season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Yankees and Cubs. He’s opted out of both contracts, as neither club has given him a look in the majors prior to agreed-upon out dates. Woodford posted nearly identical numbers with the two teams and worked to a combined 4.55 ERA with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground-ball rate through 61 1/3 innings (10 starts, four long relief outings). He’s been particularly sharp in his two most recent outings, logging a combined 12 innings with four runs (3.00 ERA) and a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Woodford’s most recent appearance saw him toss 97 pitches, so he’s fully built up to a starter’s workload.
The No. 39 overall pick by the Cardinals back in the 2015 draft, Woodford has pitched in each of the past five major league seasons. Nearly all of his experience has come with St. Louis, though he did suit up for both the White Sox and Pirates in 2024. He’s pitched 219 2/3 big league innings and has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground-ball rate in that time.
Clubs in need of rotation depth or some length in the bullpen could take a look at the increasingly well-traveled right-hander as they wait for the summer trade market to commence in full force later this month. In 468 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, Woodford has a 4.07 ERA.
Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin
The Giants have exercised their 2026 club option on manager Bob Melvin, per a team announcement. He’d previously been in the final guaranteed season of his contract.
“Having the chance to work alongside Bob every day, we’re really fortunate to have such an experienced leader and one of the most well-respected managers in baseball,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement within today’s press release announcing the move. “His leadership, preparation, and connection with our players have been invaluable, and we believe he’s the right person to continue to guide this team forward.”
Melvin, 63, is in his second season as the Giants’ skipper after a two-year stay in San Diego and a length 11-year run as the Athletics’ manager. He’d previously managed the D-backs and Mariners as well. Melvin’s first season in San Francisco resulted in a disappointing 80-82 showing that saw ownership move on from now-former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and replace him with Posey.
Posey wasn’t the one to originally hire Melvin — at least not directly, although Posey was a minority owner prior to overtaking baseball ops — but his work with three-time Manager of the Year (once with the D-backs, twice with the A’s) was enough to convince him that Melvin is the right person for the job.
Thus far in 2025, the Giants sit five games over .500, at 45-40. That leaves them a game and a half back in the Wild Card standings but a hefty eight games out of first place in the stacked National League West. San Francisco has struggled through a dry spell recently, as the offense has gone cold and resulted in the Giants dropping 11 of their past 15 games. Melvin’s club started the season 19-12 through the end of April but has gone 26-28 since, posting matching 13-14 records in both May and June.
Recent struggles notwithstanding, Melvin will get the chance to see things through in 2025 and return to manage the club in 2026, when Posey’s vision for the team has taken more hold. The Giants, under Posey, have signed Willy Adames and swung a stunning June blockbuster for Rafael Devers. Matt Chapman’s six-year extension came when Zaidi was still president, but Posey reportedly played a significant role in pushing that deal across the line after talks had slowed. With Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores up for free agency at season’s end, the 2026 season could see further changes to the core of position players at Oracle Park.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this group,” Melvin said within today’s press release. “I believe in what we’re building here, and I appreciate the confidence that the Giants ownership group, Greg [Johnson], Buster, Larry [Baer], Zack [Minasian] and the rest of the Giants’ organization have shown in me and our staff. We have a lot of unfinished business this year, and I’m looking forward to the work ahead.”
Melvin currently holds a 1642-1547 record (.515) in 22 seasons as a major league manager across the five aforementioned teams. He’s eight wins behind Mike Scioscia for 20th-most in MLB history and just 84 behind Buck Showalter for 19th.