Melvin departs A's to become Padres skipper

OAKLAND -- One of the most successful managerial eras in A’s history has come to a surprising end.

After making Oakland his home for over a decade, Bob Melvin signed a three-year deal to become the next manager of the Padres. The move was finalized and officially announced on Monday, with San Diego holding a news conference to introduce its new skipper.

“Sometimes, it just becomes time,” Melvin said. “I was lucky enough to manage a team for 10-plus seasons. I grew up in the Bay Area. It was a hometown team of mine. I was absolutely as fortunate as you could be to manage that team.

“But there comes a time where you know it doesn’t go forever. Billy [Beane] and David [Forst] were nice enough to realize that, too, in understanding the opportunity that I had here. It was a surprise. I didn’t expect it. But once I was given the opportunity to listen to people here, it became pretty clear that this was the place for me.”

The courting process began shortly after the end of the regular season. Padres general manager A.J. Preller reached out to Beane, the A’s executive vice president of baseball operations, to inquire about Melvin’s availability. Though Beane initially indicated to Preller that there was basically zero chance of allowing Melvin to interview for San Diego’s managerial vacancy, the A’s ultimately decided to allow their longtime skipper to hear what the Padres had to offer.

“I want to thank Bob for an incredible decade as the manager of the Oakland A’s,” Beane said in a statement. “He leaves here as the winningest manager in Oakland history and as one of the all time greats for this franchise. His passion for the A’s on and off the field, his brilliant mind for the game, and his professionalism in every situation made him the perfect manager for us over the last 11 years. I wish him nothing but the best in this new opportunity and beyond.”

Melvin, who turned 60 on Thursday, had enjoyed a run through 2021 as the longest-tenured active manager in MLB. Hired by Oakland midseason in 2011, he led the A’s out of obscurity and notched six postseason appearances to go along with two Manager of the Year Awards over 10 full seasons. Melvin’s 853 wins amassed over that stretch are the most all time by a manager in Oakland history, having surpassed Hall of Famer Tony La Russa this past June. He had his club option for 2022 picked up shortly after.

"Bob, arguably, has been the most successful manager we've had here, especially when you consider the challenges that he's had," Beane said after Melvin's option was exercised. "He's had a roster that has turned over multiple times since he's been here. He has one of the lower payrolls to deal with. From a professional and personal relationship, his tenure speaks for itself."

Though Melvin was under contract for next year, he was granted permission to interview with the Padres for their open managerial position. Because of this, the A’s will not receive compensation for Melvin’s departure.

“That really goes to Oakland just looking for what’s best for Bob,” Preller said when asked about signing Melvin for no compensation. “An appreciation for what he did there in a decade. It speaks to [A’s owner] John Fisher, Billy Beane and [A’s GM] David Forst looking for what was best for their group and what was best for Bob.”

It’s unclear how the A’s, who finished 86-76 this season and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2017, will go about finding a new manager. Third-base coach Mark Kotsay and bench coach Ryan Christenson, both of whom are highly thought of within the organization and have interviewed with other teams for manager vacancies over the past couple of offseasons, figure to be strong candidates to succeed Melvin.