How Giants' managerial opening affects Bob Melvin's status with Padres

With the Giants looking for a new manager and Bob Melvin’s future with the Padres perhaps in question, there has already been speculation that the two situations could be simultaneously resolved by Melvin leaving San Diego to take over the Giants’ dugout. Melvin is both from the Bay Area and is both a former Giants player (1986-88) and A’s manager (2011-21). It was during that stint in Oakland that Melvin worked with Farhan Zaidi, when the Giants president of baseball operations was a member of the Athletics front office.

Melvin is under contract for the 2024 season, so the Padres would have to fire the skipper to allow him to change jobs. While there have been plenty of rumblings that Melvin might be replaced, the possibility that he could immediately join a division rival could complicate the situation for the Padres, and they might explore the possibility of some kind of trade if the Giants did have interest in hiring the veteran manager. A meeting of Padres officials is set to take place Monday, so some kind of resolution to Melvin’s status in San Diego could possibly be coming pretty quickly.

More from around the NL West…

• In other Giants news, the club placed Mitch Haniger on the 10-day injured list Friday (retroactive to Sept. 26) due to a lower back strain.  The move will officially end Haniger’s season, a disappointing campaign that saw the outfielder hit .209/.266/.365 over 229 plate appearances. The limited playing time is certainly a factor, as Haniger played in only 61 games due to a right forearm fracture that cost him roughly 2.5 months of the season, as well as an oblique injury in spring training that delayed his 2023 debut until April 24. Signed to a three-year, $43.5M free-agent deal last winter, Haniger can only hope for much better health heading into his second year in San Francisco.
• Joe Musgrove hasn’t pitched since July 28 due to a bout of shoulder inflammation, as the Padres opted to shut Musgrove down rather than risk any further injury, as San Diego’s hopes of reaching the playoffs looked dim. Musgrove provided Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune with a health update, saying that his shoulder is feeling good and that he is making “a very easy, slow progression” towards his normal offseason throwing routine. In a pinch, Musgrove said he could have been able to pitch if the Friars had make the playoffs and reached the second round. However, the right-hander will now look to rebound after an injury-riddled 2023, as Musgrove was limited to 98 innings due to his shoulder issue and a broken toe suffered during spring training.
• X-rays were negative on Miguel Rojas’ left hand after the Dodgers infielder was hit by a Sean Hjelle pitch on Friday. Rojas was removed from the game as a precaution, and manager Dave Roberts (speaking with Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters) feels Rojas will be OK, but he’ll undergo more testing today. The Dodgers’ first-round bye means that they won’t begin their postseason run until Oct. 7, giving Rojas plenty of time to heal up.