Report: Melvin leaving A's to become new Padres manager originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
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After 11 years with the Athletics, Bob Melvin has agreed to become the manager of the San Diego Padres, sources confirmed to NBC Sports California's Brodie Brazil on Thursday.
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MLB.com's AJ Cassavell first reported, citing sources, that Melvin agreed to a three-year contract with the Padres.
Melvin, regarded as one of the best managers in MLB, guided the A's to an 853-764 record with six postseason appearances during his tenure, which began during the 2011 season. While in Oakland, he won AL Manager of the Year twice (2012, 2018).
Melvin, who turned 60 years old Thursday, became the second-winningest manager in A's team history this past season, surpassing former Oakland manager Tony La Russa. Melvin leaves the franchise with 853 managerial wins, the most since the team moved to Oakland.
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Melvin helped build the A's into an AL powerhouse from 2018 through 2020, culminating in an AL West crown in the pandemic-shortened 60-game 2020 season. But Oakland wasn't able to advance past the AL Wild Card Game in 2018 or 2019, and lost in the AL Division Series last year.
In 2021, with expectations still high for the A's despite several key free-agent departures, the team struggled at several points during the season, missed the playoffs and finished in third place in AL West behind the division champion Houston Astros and surprising Seattle Mariners.
Popular in the A's clubhouse, Melvin was the ultimate player's manager and will be missed in the East Bay.
Back on June 15, the A's exercised Melvin's contract for the 2022 MLB season, but now Oakland will begin a search for a new manager. Oakland has had a steady hand guiding them for over a decade, but the future becomes uncertain.
Melvin heads to a Padres team that also fell below the massive preseason expectations in 2021. Projected by most to either win the NL West or make the NL Wild Card Game, San Diego finished a distant third place to the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. Melvin will be tasked with harnessing all the superstar talent on the roster and leading them back to the top of the division.
