San Diego Padres grant SF Giants permission to interview Bob Melvin for managerial opening

The SF Giants top managerial target might be coming after all. The San Diego have granted the Giants permission to interview Bob Melvin for the managerial opening.

San Diego Padres grant SF Giants permission to interview Bob Melvin for managerial opening

Andrew Baggarly and Dennis Lin of The Athletic broke the news on Sunday, confirming that Melvin is expected to be a top candidate for the position. The Padres initially stated that both Melvin and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller would return next season.

However, the door on Melvin never fully closed. This was compounded by the fact that Melvin and Preller were believed to have a contentious relationship. After two seasons, it just felt like it was not working. Keeping the relationship going did not make a ton of sense, so giving the Giants a chance to interview the longtime manager might be best for both parties.

For Melvin, a chance to interview for the Giants would be a homecoming of sorts. The 61-year-old grew up in the peninsula, attending Menlo Atherton High School, Cañada College, and the University of California - Berkeley. Of course, Melvin also played in parts of three seasons with the Giants during his 10-year playing career.

Since then, Melvin has been in the dugout for the better part of the last three decades. This includes stops with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland A's, and Padres. The A's experience could be key during this hiring cycle as he is familiar with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Zaidi served as an assistant manager while early in Melvin's tenure with Oakland.

Usually, when a team hires a new manager, prior connections are very important. This was certainly the case when Zaidi brought on Gabe Kapler after his tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies came to an end.

The Giants have put together a long list of candidates so far. Third base coach Mark Hallberg was viewed as the favorite among internal candidates, and the Buster Posey connection certainly does not hurt.

However, the Giants have not been connected to many candidates with prior managing experience. In fact, Melvin would be the first among the known candidates, but it would be too risky to go with a first-time manager. You cannot easily replicate the 20 years of experience in the dugout that Melvin has.

Melvin has a lot of experience, but the fact that the Padres fell so far below expectations will raise some concerns with the fanbase. The veteran manager is culpable for the team's shortcomings, but the players deserve a share of the blame as well. With Melvin now in the mix, the pace of the hiring process will likely pick up steam.