SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — While contract extensions for major-league managers have been handed out at a rapid pace in recent months, little has been discussed in Giantsville, where Bob Melvin is entering the final year of his contract.
By all accounts, Melvin is highly regarded and respected by players and coaches as he’s preparing for his second season managing the Giants, the first under president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
Melvin’s contract includes a club option for 2026, but there haven’t been discussions of exercising the option or extending the contract through 2027, the year through which Posey’s deal runs. And it doesn’t appear talks would initiate before the Giants open the season next Thursday in Cincinnati.
Perhaps it’s not surprising, considering the Posey-Melvin partnership is relatively new.
“All of my interactions with Bob have been great,” Posey told The Standard. “Talking to people before I got to know him well, there were tons of positive reviews. Watching him interact with the coaching staff and players has been great, and I expect it to continue to be that way.
“That’s just where I’d leave it right now. I’m focused on getting ready for the season. But again, I think Bob Melvin’s one of the best managers in the game, and I’m getting to see it every day.”
The feeling is mutual, according to Melvin: “Everything has been really positive. My staff and I have gotten along very well with Buster and [general manager Zack Minasian]. It’s been a great camp, and we’re excited for the season to start. My contract is a non-issue.”
The Giants finished 80-82 in 2024, their third straight non-winning season, leading to ownership’s hiring of Posey to replace Farhan Zaidi. Melvin has 1,597 career wins, second-most among active managers behind Bruce Bochy and two behind Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda. Previously working in Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, and San Diego, Melvin is entering his 22nd year managing.
Third baseman Matt Chapman, a respected clubhouse leader who has known Melvin longer than any other Giants player, campaigned in a Standard interview for the Giants to extend Melvin’s contract.
“I signed here because of BoMel,” said Chapman, who initially signed with the Giants last March and then struck a six-year, $151 million extension in September that runs through 2030. “I would have never come to the Giants if it wasn’t for him. He got me here. He’s the reason I’m here. I didn’t sign a six-year extension thinking I was going to play for another manager, so I hope they do what’s right and extend him. He deserves it.”
Chapman met Melvin for the first time in 2014 after he signed with the A’s out of college and visited the Coliseum for a workout. Chapman has been in the majors for eight seasons, just two without Melvin as his manager, 2022 and 2023 in Toronto.
He said Melvin’s presence is a big reason free agents would consider signing in San Francisco.
“What makes him so good is he empowers the players, he trusts the players, he doesn’t look over your shoulder making sure you’re doing everything,” Chapman said. “He trusts you’re going to get your work in, you’re going to be a pro, let’s the guys in the clubhouse steer the ship.”
Shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants in the offseason, echoed Chapman’s sentiments about hoping Melvin will stick around long-term.
“I talked with some of the players from teams he managed, and everybody said the same thing, ‘He’s the best,’ ” Adames said. “He treats the guys very well. When you’re choosing to go somewhere for seven years of your life, you want to go somewhere that has a very good [manager] and staff. I wish he could stay here the whole time I’m here.”
Contract extensions for major-league managers have become commonplace. In October, the Phillies handed Rob Thomson a one-year extension through 2026. In November, San Diego’s Mike Shildt received a two-year extension through 2027. Last month, extensions were handed to the Yankees’ Aaron Boone for two years through 2026 and Mark Kotsay of the A’s for three years through 2028, with a club option for 2029.
The grand poobah of contract extensions was doled out by, of course, the Dodgers: Four years, $32.4 million through 2029 for Dave Roberts — it’s the largest contract for a baseball manager in terms of average annual value, surpassing the $40 million, five-year deal the Cubs gave Craig Counsell.
Meantime, Posey, Melvin, and Co. continue to push forward with Opening Day around the corner.
“I’m still very much in the stage of getting my feet underneath me and learning the processes of everything,” Posey said. “The most important point is it’s been great to work with BoMel and just talk about baseball and players and strategy, and I feel really good about him being here.”