Former San Francisco Giants Manager Rejoins A's Organization

The A's announced on Thursday that former manager Bob Melvin would be rejoining the organization as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations. Melvin, 64, managed the A's to six playoff appearances in his ten full years leading the A's, and won the AL West three times in his tenure with the team.

According to MLB.com, Melvin will be with the club in camp, "providing his perspective on players while sitting alongside members of the front office and scouting department. Once the regular season begins, Melvin will visit the club’s Minor League affiliates to scout and provide feedback on A’s top prospects."

Bob Melvin is returning to the A’s as a Special Assistant, Baseball Operations. He managed the club from 2011-2021, leading the club to the postseason in six of his ten full seasons.
— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) February 19, 2026

Following the 2021 season, the A's were heading for another rebuild, which led him to leave the club to become the manager for the San Diego Padres. Melvin's successor was Mark Kotsay, who is still the manager for the A's currently. Kotsay had served a number of role alongside Melvin when both were part of the team's coaching staff.

The decision to hire Kotsay when Melvin left has turned out to be a good decision for the franchise, as he is regarded as one of the top managers in baseball. A new player in camp recently told Athletics on SI that Kotsay reminds him of his former manager in college, Tony Vitello, who is now the manager of the San Francisco Giants.

Notably, Melvin was one of the winningest managers in A's franchise history. His 853 wins with the club are behind just Connie Mack, who managed the club during their time in Philadelphia. However, he or anyone will likely not surpass Mack, as he managed the club for nearly 50 years.

Bob Melvin's legacy in the A's organization made him an attractive name for other organizations when he left the club after the 2021 season. However, Melvin would only spend 2 seasons with the Friars before heading back to the Bay Area to become the manager for the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2024 campaign.

For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Melvin would manage the Giants club to an 80-82 record in year one, and an 81-81 record in his second season. Buster Posey and the Giants front office elected to fire Melvin following the 2025 season with the hope that their new hire will help them accrue a few more wins and potentially vault them into the postseason.

The team would controversially replace Melvin with Tony Vitello, the former manager of the Tennesee Volunteers. Even with Melvin's lengthy resumé as a manager in MLB, the Giants elected to hire Vitello, who has no MLB coaching experience, or any experience in pro ball. It's a big swing that the Giants are hoping pays off.

After losing his job with the Giants, Melvin was not expected to land another managerial job this offseason, and is instead set to return to the organization he called home for 11 years. This time, it won't be in his usual role of managing, but instead in a special role in the front office.

Melvin also Martín Gallegos that he doesn't view this as a short-term gig, saying "no more managing." Having Melvin on board with the team's scouting is a huge pickup for the club, as he's been around the A's, knows the culture and how they operate, and has loads of experience in the game.

The A's previously added longtime fan favorite Mark McGwire to the player development staff, serving as a Special Assistant to Player Development.