Bob

Melvin

Martinez spent the last three years as the team’s assistant pitching coach. The Giants opted to bring in Bryan Price rather than give Martinez a shot a year ago, but Price stepped down after just one season in San Francisco. Martinez, 42, pitched in the minors from 2004-08, mostly with the Twins, and he coached in the minors for the Twins from 2015-20.

Price managed the Reds from 2014 through 201 and has spent the last two season as a senior advisor to the Padres’ coaching staff. Last year, the Giants used 13 different pitchers to start games with a National League-leading 30 by openers (starts of three innings pitched or fewer, with one or fewer runs allowed). Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the team “might use openers when needed, but that is not their goal.” Presumably, Kyle Harrison, Keaton Winn, and Ross Stripling could be in line for more win opportunities if this change in philosophy sticks.

Price managed the Reds from 2014 through 2019 and has spent the last two seasons as a senior advisor to the Padres’ coaching staff. He has a long-time relationship with new Giants manager Bob Melvin and is from the Bay Area, which is why he’s presumably coming out of semi-retirement to get back in the dugout.

Despite being allowed to go to a rival just two years in, Melvin seems to have escaped his Padres tenure with his reputation intact. One of the game’s most respected managers, Melvin has nevertheless failed to take a team to the World Series in 20 years at the helm. For that to change in San Francisco, the team is going to have to invest, something it tried and failed to do with Aaron Judge and then with the aborted Carlos Correa signing last year.

Katie Woo and Dennis Lin of The Athletic add that Mike Shildt and Ryan Flaherty are the leading internal candidates to fill the Padres’ sudden managerial vacancy. Melvin heads to San Francisco to replace Gabe Kapler after spending the previous two years at the held for San Diego, leading the franchise to a 171-153 record and just one playoff appearance during that span. The 61-year-old skipper, who has taken home Manager of the Year honors three times in his career, has two decades of managerial experience between the Padres, Athletics, Diamondbacks and Mariners, dating back to 2003.

Well that’s something that you don’t see everyday. There have been rumblings that Melvin had emerged as the top candidate to replace Gabe Kapler in San Francisco, though he’s still under contract with the Padres for the 2024 season. It’s unclear if the Giants would ultimately have to provide any sort of compensation to the Padres if they want to hire their skipper away.

Sherman has since updated the story to say that permission has been granted. Varitek is a player information coach with the Red Sox and has been a uniformed member of the staff since 2021, though he has no managerial experience. The Giants have already interviewed multiple candidates since cutting ties with Gabe Kapler, including interim manager Kai Correa and assistant coach Alyssa Nakken, as well as Mariners bullpen and quality control coach Stephen Vogt. According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, it’s believed that the Giants could also have interest in talking to current Padres manager Bob Melvin, though that would obviously be quite complicated.

There’s been speculation that the relationship between president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and manager Bob Melvin is pretty icy, but it doesn’t sound like Seidler is going to move on from either. Melvin would certainly be in demand if let go, and reports have linked him to the Giants.

Williams will be with the Padres on Opening Day before stepping away to undergo treatment. The former big league manager will be replaced by Mike Shildt on San Diego’s coaching staff. We’re wishing Williams all the best in his recovery.

Flaherty has worked with the Padres hitters over the the last couple years and takes over for Michael Brdar, who left the team to take over as the Tigers’ new hitting coach.