After Bob Melvin jumped ship to replace Jayce Tingler as the manager of the San Diego Padres, the Oakland Athletics were left conducting a managerial search of their own. Well, after scouring the market for the best possible man, the A's have settled on their next manager. And it's someone fans will be extremely familiar with. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Athletics have promoted Mark Kotsay to manager.

Kotsay served as the A's third-base coach in 2021, but this will be the 46-year-old's first foray into managing. He's well familiar with the A's system, however, having served in various roles within the organization since 2015, when he first signed on as a bench coach and later worked as a quality control coach.

The hiring of Kotsay should be popular among Oakland fans. The former outfielder spent 17 seasons in the big leagues, including four years with the Athletics. During his stint with the A's, Kotsay featured in 472 games, hitting 38 home runs, 224 RBI, and had a .747 OPS.

Throughout a lengthy MLB career that spanned from 1997-2013, Kotsay played for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Athletics. He recorded 1,784 hits and blasted 127 home runs in his career.

The Athletics even being in the market for a new manager is a surprise in and of itself. Melvin was highly regarded as one of the best minds in baseball, and Oakland had him under contract through the 2022 season. However, the Padres came calling and the A's didn't prevent him from joining the NL West club, opening the door for Kotsay to make his managerial debut.