SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Bob Melvin, the former San Francisco Giants and A's manager in Oakland, will return to his A's roots and serve as a special assistant for baseball operations with the team, now in Sacramento.
Melvin spent 11 seasons of his 22-year managing career with the A's, leading the Oakland club to the postseason six times over that span and winning manager of the year twice while there.
He departed in 2021 to manage the San Diego Padres taking them to the NLCS in 2022, then took the Giants' managing job to start the 2024 season on a two-year deal with a third-year option.
Though top executive Buster Posey picked up Melvin's contract option for 2026 on July 1, Melvin was relieved of his duties following the Giants' 81-81 season. The Giants will pay Melvin the $4 million he's owed for 2026 on top of the $6.5 million they'll pay new manager Tony Vitello this season (a $3 million contract with a $3.5 million buyout of his previous contract with Tennessee).
This will be the first season since 2010 - the year before he took the A's managing job - that Melvin won't manage a big league club. Between 2003 and 2025, he managed the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, A's, Padres and Giants with a career 1,678-1,588 record that makes him the 20th winningest manager in baseball history.
Earlier this year, former Giants bench coach Ryan Christenson also returned to the A's to serve as their first-base coach. He had been the A's bench coach alongside Melvin since 2018 and went with Melvin to San Diego and San Francisco.
This article originally published at Former Giants manager Bob Melvin returns to A's in front-office job.