SAN FRANCISCO -- After missing the playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine years, the Giants will have plenty of big questions to address this offseason. Chief among them: Will Bob Melvin be back to manage the team in 2026?
President of baseball operations Buster Posey gave Melvin a vote of confidence when he exercised his club option for next year on July 1, but Melvin’s future is looking murkier now that the Giants faded down the stretch and finished 81-81 -- only two games behind the 83-win Reds for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
Melvin, 63, acknowledged that he’s been given no assurances about his job status and expects to meet with members of the Giants’ brass on Monday.
“It is what it is,” Melvin said after the Giants shut out the Rockies, 4-0, in Sunday’s regular-season finale at Oracle Park. “We’ll see what the next day brings.”
San Francisco general manager Zack Minasian didn’t seem to rule out the possibility of coaching staff changes during an interview with KNBR 680 on Wednesday.
“When you have years like this, it probably pushes you more and more to evaluate all of your departments,” Minasian said. “Whether you’re winning or losing, you’re always going to have conversations about your staffing and how it looks. In regards to Bob, he’s a consummate professional, and he really cares about the Giants. Beyond that, we’ll just continue to do our work. As the season ends, we’ll evaluate the team, evaluate our system and our options going forward.”
Melvin, a Menlo Park native who played for the Giants from 1986-88, enjoyed a homecoming when he returned to the Bay Area to serve as the franchise’s 39th manager in October 2023. But the Giants have endured two subpar seasons with him at the helm, going a combined 161-163 and twice missing the playoffs.
San Francisco’s .500 finish this year marked only a one-win improvement from its 80-82 record in 2024, even with the addition of free-agent shortstop Willy Adames and three-time All-Star Rafael Devers, who was acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Red Sox on June 15.
The Giants went only 40-50 after bringing Devers into the fold, though right-hander Logan Webb said the stretches of poor play in the second half -- including an 0-6 homestand against the Mets and the Pirates that prompted the club to sell at the July 31 Trade Deadline -- ultimately falls on the players, not the coaches.
“I think at the end of the day, it comes down to us being able to play better as players,” Webb said. “I think everyone in here would say the exact same thing. BoMel is a great leader of men, and it’s been amazing. I think BoMel is great.”
Third baseman Matt Chapman, who has played for Melvin in both Oakland and San Francisco, also voiced support for his longtime skipper.
“You know how I feel about BoMel,” Chapman said. “He’s been my manager for seven years. I feel extremely grateful to play for him. He’s the same guy every day. He’s been steady for us. He’s always honest with the players. He has our back. He’s done the best with what we’ve given him.
"A lot of us didn’t play probably to our capabilities. If you ask guys in this room, I think a lot of guys would say that they wished they were able to play a little bit better or more consistently, whatever it is. He never turns his back on us. He always has our back. I got nothing but good things to say about BoMel. Obviously, I love him.”