(San Diego) Manager Bob Melvin’s position appears safe, despite the San Diego Padres’ disappointing season.
At least that’s what emerges from the press release issued Monday morning by the team’s owner, Peter Seidler, in which he assures that the current management of the club “still has my support”.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after the Padres had one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, going 82-80. They were eliminated on Friday night; a tough result to swallow for a team that entered the campaign among the favorites to win the World Series, after reaching the National League Championship Series last fall. The Padres then increased their payroll to nearly 250 million US dollars, the third largest in the Major Leagues, in the hope of having a long playoff run.
There have been persistent rumors of a strained relationship between Melvin, who just completed his second season as the Padres’ helm and his 20th as a major league manager, and general manager A.J. Preller, who only presents two winning records for full seasons in Major League Baseball since his hiring in August 2014.
“We started 2023 wanting to build on our participation in the National Championship Series last year and hoping to participate in the World Series,” Seidler admitted in his press release. We have failed. The Padres organization will learn from this experience and enter 2024 by adding elements that can allow the team to compete for a first World Series title.
“Our leadership group continues to have my support, and I have asked them to conduct an in-depth review of our organization, starting today. We will make the necessary changes in order to be one of the best teams in 2024,” he concluded.
Seidler, who recently underwent surgery for an undetermined medical condition, was unable to provide further comment. Melvin and Preller also remained silent.
