Former San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin signs a hat for a fan on Sat Sep 27, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Melvin was fired by the Giants on Mon Sep 29, 2025 one day after the regular season was completed. (AP News photo)
By Stephen Ruderman
The Giants announced Monday morning that they have dismissed Manager Bob Melvin after just two seasons.
Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey informed Melvin Monday morning.
“After meeting with ownership, I met with Bob today to inform him of my decision,” said Posey in a statement put out by the Giants this morning. “On behalf of the organization, I want to express my appreciation to Bob for his dedication, professionalism and class. I wish him all the best.”
Melvin was brought in following Gabe Kapler’s dismissal following the 2023 season. After several off-season acquisitions, expectations were high for the Giants last season.
However, a season-ending injury to Jung Hoo Lee, and complications surrounding then-President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi complicated things. The Giants were never able to put much together last season, and they finished their third-straight mediocre season at 80-82.
Posey was brought in to replace Zaidi at the end of last season, which gave Melvin more freedom to manage during games. The Giants also signed Willy Adames to bolster their offense, and following an 18-10 spring, expectations were high for the team.
The Giants started the season on fire, winning eight of their first nine games. They got their record to 24-14 after a win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 7. There was a true belief and determination by the team to make this a special season.
Unfortunately, the Giants lost their mojo and played .500 ball for the next month and a half. Following a sweep by the Miami Marlins at Oracle Park in late June, cracks began to appear in the armor of the team.
Despite the Giants’ struggles, Posey exercised Melvin’s option for next season on July 1. The Giants regained their momentum to win seven of their next nine.
However, after a brutal loss to the Dodgers to end the first half on July 13, the Giants collapsed, losing 12 of their next 14 to fall the way to under .500. That led Posey to sell at the trade deadline, as reliever Tyler Rogers, closer Camilo Doval and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski were all dealt for prospects.
Things continued to get worse for the Giants in August, and they fell to seven games under .500 at 61-68 after a walk-off home run by William Contreras in Milwaukee on Aug. 22. The summer was lowlighted by a 1-15 stretch at home.
After a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, which was the Giants’ 14th loss in their previous 15 home games, Melvin raised eyebrows saying, “We take the field every day, and gotta do it the next day, unfortunately.” It was a comment that rubbed Giants’ fans in a negative way, and showed signs of a manager losing his edge.
After Contreras’ walk-off home run on Aug. 22, the Giants suddenly got hot again. They won 11 of their next 12, and 14 out of 18 in total to get to just a half-game back of the New York Mets for the third wild card spot in the National League on Sept. 12.
At the end, it was the same story. The following night, the Giants blew a 4-1 lead to the Dodgers with Logan Webb on the mound in a brutal 13-7 loss. Three nights later, the Giants scored four runs in the top of the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, but blew the lead in a brutal 6-5 loss.
The Giants ended up eight out of ten, and were eliminated on Sept. 23. The Giants did win their final four to finish right at .500 at 81-81 for the second time in the last four years, but the damage was already done. At the end, the Giants finished just two games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the third wild card spot in the National League.
What started off as a magical season eventually turned into the Giants’ fourth-straight mediocre season. It was also the third time in the last four years in which the Giants were at double digits in games over .500, but failed to finish over .500.
“After careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team,” Posey said in the statement. “The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”
Melvin’s tenure is the shortest of any Giants’ manager in 40 years. Melvin became the first Giants’ skipper to last less than four seasons—or shall we say less than three games shy of four seasons—since Jim Davenport was brought in in 1985, only to last 144 games in a brutal 100-loss season, the worst in the Giants’ 68 seasons in San Francisco.
The Giants went 131-133 in Melvins’ two seasons at the helm.
Posey and the Giants will now look for a new skipper to help break the spell of mediocrity that has engulfed the Giants over the last four seasons.
Sports Radio Service 