Giants dismiss Melvin as manager with year left on contract

For the second time in three offseasons, the Giants will be searching for a new manager.

The Giants announced Monday that Bob Melvin has been dismissed with a year left on his contract after falling short of the playoffs in each of his two seasons in San Francisco.

Melvin, 63, appeared on track to return for a third year after president of baseball operations Buster Posey picked up his 2026 option on July 1, but the organization decided to shift course following another disappointing finish from the Giants this year.

San Francisco went 81-81 in 2025 and 161-163 overall under Melvin, who just concluded his 22nd season as a big league manager.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bob Melvin,” Posey said during a Zoom call with reporters on Monday. “I watched him before I was in the league. I competed against him for years and always enjoyed competing with him. Unfortunately, the way that we played throughout the course of the year, this is where we ended up. The hope is, going forward, we can get a new voice in the room that can lead these guys to get us back to where we want to go.”

The Giants were briefly tied for first place with the rival Dodgers following a series-opening win at Dodger Stadium on June 13, and they showed they weren't messing around by acquiring three-time All-Star Rafael Devers from the Red Sox two days later.

But San Francisco stunningly tumbled out of contention after going only 40-50 the rest of the way, including an 0-6 homestand against the Mets and Pirates out of the All-Star break that turned the club into sellers at the July 31 Trade Deadline.

Despite dealing back-end relievers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval and veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, the Giants flickered back to life with a homer-fueled 14-4 run that vaulted them back into the thick of the National League Wild Card race. They had a chance to overtake the Mets for the final NL playoff spot entering play on Sept. 13, but they once again faded down the stretch, dropping nine of their next 11 games to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season and the eighth time in the past nine years.

“When seasons don’t go the way you want, it’s never one person’s fault,” Posey said. “It’s never one group’s fault. But when they don’t go the way you want them, in my opinion, you can’t sit there and say, ‘We’re going to come back and do the same thing that we did this year for the next year.’ That’s part of why we landed where we landed.”

Melvin, a Menlo Park, Calif., native who caught for his hometown Giants from 1986-88, seemed to be the perfect fit to lead the organization after he was hired away from the Padres to replace Gabe Kapler in October 2023. A three-time Manager of the Year -- twice with the A's in 2012 and '18 and once with the D-backs in '07 -- Melvin came full circle by becoming the first person since Alvin Dark to manage on both sides of the Bay.

Those Bay Area roots made it especially difficult to cut ties with Melvin, according to Posey.

“It wasn’t enjoyable,” Posey said. “I knew how much this job meant to Bob. He’s somebody that I’ve admired as a manager for a long time. It was not something that I was looking forward to doing. Bob was extremely gracious. He cares about this organization. He cares about the players. He wants to see them be successful.”

With Melvin out, Posey will now have the opportunity to handpick his successor this offseason. Possible candidates to replace Melvin include former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, Guardians associate manager Craig Albernaz, former Giants catcher Nick Hundley and San Francisco first-base coach Mark Hallberg, though Posey didn’t tip his hand about who he plans to interview for the position.

“I have ideas,” Posey said. “I have people in mind, but I’ll keep that to myself.”

What about former Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who is facing an uncertain future now that his three-year contract with the Rangers has expired?

“I don’t know what his status is yet,” Posey said. “I haven’t heard. I can’t speak on that.”

Posey said he doesn’t have an exact timetable for his first manager search, but he likely won’t rush the process since he’ll be looking to re-establish some continuity within the organization. Melvin’s dismissal marked the third straight year the Giants have made a significant leadership change, as they also parted ways with Kapler at the end of the 2023 campaign and former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi last year.

“It’s definitely not ideal,” Posey said. “But unfortunately, we talked about it a lot, what the standards are for the Giants. We have high standards. I hold myself to those same standards. I understand fully the position that I’m in now. My job and the team’s success is evaluated accordingly, as well.

“You, without a doubt, hope that there can be consistency in these leadership positions. We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in the playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves. That’s what the city deserves.”