Two veteran coaches out after SF Giants opt for a change in leadership

Not surprisingly, the SF Giants coaching staff will look a lot different with the club announcing that they had parted ways with Bob Melvin on Monday morning. Both Ryan Christenson and Matt Williams will not return, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Two veteran coaches out after SF Giants opt for a change in leadership

The news of the changes are not all that surprising. The Giants have missed the playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons. With that often comes changes.

This season is particularly painful given that the Cincinnati Reds reached the playoffs with only 83 wins. That was an unusually low watermark to become a postseason club, and the Giants were only a couple of games behind that.

The Giants picked up Melvin's option for 2026 at the beginning of July. The timing of it was odd, as they were in the midst of a rough stretch. Things did not get much better and the Giants traded Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval, and Mike Yastrzemski at the deadline.

While Melvin's contract was guaranteed for 2026 after they picked up his option, there was a change in tone from the front office. In recent weeks, Buster Posey and Zack Minasian sidestepped questions about Melvin's future

Instead, they both conveyed that the focus was on finishing the year on a strong note. It was clear from their silence that Melvin was under evaluation.

The Giants did rebound in the final five weeks of the year to finish with 81 wins. Still, that is not good enough relative to the talent they had on the roster.

Melvin was the first to go. Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third base coach Matt Williams followed shortly after the news about Melvin was made public. Both had been with Melvin during their stops with the Oakland A's and San Diego Padres.

In particular, Williams was criticized for some decisions to send runners home or hold them at third base in the middle of the year. Those issues seemed to have disappeared later in the year. On the other hand, Christenson worked with the outfield defense and baserunners, both of which were issues with the team's overall output in 2025.

This will likely be the first wave of changes to the coaching staff. However, the incoming manager will have a chance to retain any coaches that he sees fit. For now, the Giants will begin their third leadership change in as many years.

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