One immediate question the SF Giants need to answer as soon as the offseason begins

Who will be the manager?
San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks | Chris Coduto/GettyImages

The long baseball offseason is here. The days are slowly getting shorter and colder. For the SF Giants, they will need to immediately answer who will be the manager in 2026?

One immediate question the SF Giants need to answer as soon as the offseason begins

On paper, they already picked up Bob Melvin's club option for 2026. The team was beginning to spiral downward when that decision was made, but Buster Posey was complimentary of the work Melvin had done.

Things did not get any better for the Giants in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. They went 9-15 in July, and traded away Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval, and Mike Yastrzemski at the deadline. It was a sign that the focus was shifting to 2026.

The Giants did sneak back into the playoff picture, and even held a Wild Card spot for a brief moment of time a couple of weeks ago. However, they hit another rough patch after Patrick Bailey's memorable walk-off grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the end, the Giants fell short of the playoff picture for the fourth time in the last five years. They have only reached the playoffs once in the past nine years. There have been some lean years mixed in, but this iteration of the Giants has the talent to win games.

Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why this year feels like such a letdown for many Giants fans. The Giants have the talent, but they will finish in the middle yet again.

It is on the players to perform on the field. However, when the team has a disappointing year like this one, it forces the front office to evaluate all departments, including the coaching staff.

While Buster Posey was complimentary of Bob Melvin when they picked up his option, both he and general manager Zack Minasian have sidestepped the question about Melvin's status for 2026 in recent interviews. Instead, their focus has been on finishing the year on a strong note.

Regardless, it is not a ringing endorsement when neither front office executive gives a concrete answer. Perhaps, they were unsure of the answer at the time of the question. Perhaps, they were waiting to see how the team finishes to have a concrete answer. There are a few ways to read their silence on the topic.

Now, the offseason has begun. Leadership changes often come right away. Very shortly, the Giants will need to convey whether Melvin is coming back to manage the team in 2026. Even if he does come back, there will likely be changes to his coaching staff, as is often the case in every offseason.

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