The San Francisco Giants are currently searching for a new manager after parting ways with Gabe Kapler. It appears that they have found a lead candidate without going outside of the National League Division, with the San Diego Padres giving manager Bob Melvin permission to interview for the said job opening in the Bay Area, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

“The San Diego Padres granted permission for manager Bob Melvin to interview with the San Francisco Giants, sources told ESPN, paving the way for an interdivision managerial change and the end of a contentious two-year relationship between Melvin and the Padres.”

Melvin is still under contract with the Padres, but getting a thumbs up from San Diego to do an interview with a rival is a sign of where he and his current team stand. It is also worth noting that in the event that Melvin successfully wins the Giants job, he would then be following the footsteps of current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who went from managing San Diego to being San Francisco's skipper over a decade ago. Of course, everyone knows the history Bochy made with the Giants during his time with the team.

The Padres are coming off a disappointing 2023 season. Despite a star-laden roster, they were not able to make it to the playoffs, finishing the regular season with an 82-80 record. In the two seasons that Melvin has managed the Padres so far, the team has won only a total of 171 games as against 153 losses.