A’s: Bob Melvin’s return to Coliseum a reminder of better times in Oakland
OAKLAND — Bob Melvin’s departure to San Diego marked the beginning of the end of the Oakland A’s last hurrah. In his return to the Coliseum on Friday, the Padres skipper will see just how far things have fallen in Oakland merely two years since he left.
The Padres and A’s will play a three-game series this weekend with the teams on different trajectories. The talent-rich Padres are in the home stretch of a massively disappointing season, set to miss the playoffs despite being pegged as National League pennant contenders. After leading the Padres to an NLCS appearance last season, Melvin could be on the hot seat once September ends.
In Oakland, baseball has become secondary to the franchise’s effort to uproot the team and relocate to Las Vegas. It’s a far cry from the contending team Melvin left in 2021 — the one that had made the postseason three years in a row with budding homegrown stars. Some on that team remember gathering for a group hug in the clubhouse on the final day of the 2021 season; they knew Melvin was probably gone, and without him, they would be sold for parts.
After Melvin’s departure came trades of Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman, as well as plenty of free agency departures including Mark Canha.
Only a handful who played for Melvin in 2021 remain in the A’s locker room today, including Tony Kemp and Seth Brown.
“I remember when he wasn’t going to come back and it was the offseason,” Kemp said. “I remember sending out a tweet that I was sad. I felt like he was here for a number of years and it was time to move on. He got a good deal with the Padres and just missed going to the World Series last year.”
Money talks a little differently in San Diego. The Padres plucked Melvin from Oakland to head up a star-studded roster with the fifth-largest payroll in baseball. Melvin and the Padres looked to be on the up since upsetting the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS last season. But even after adding more stars in the offseason, such as shortstop Xander Bogaerts, the Padres have flatlined. Now with the third-highest payroll in MLB, San Diego’s postseason hopes are faint, seven games back from the third wild card spot entering games Thursday night.
The Padres may be due for some offseason changes, but Melvin is in charge of the team’s desperate postseason push. He will return home and manage from the visiting side of the Coliseum for the first time since 2009 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Melvin managed in Oakland for 11 years and not only grew up an A’s fan, but was a Coliseum concert regular.
“I think it’ll kick in more when I get there,” Melvin told the San Diego Union-Tribune about his return. “I haven’t been there since. There’s been a lot going on since I left, so it should be interesting. I’m looking very much forward to it. I think there’s only a couple of (players) left from when I was there. But the coaching staff, front office, certainly the fans and everybody there, I’m looking forward to it.”
Kemp and Brown don’t think it’ll feel weird to see Melvin on the other side; the game’s ups and downs have a way of neutralizing emotion. But seeing him will remind them of those contention years and, most importantly, of Melvin’s charisma as a manager.
“For me, the communication aspect alone is huge. Having a guy who will fight for you and the guys is what a player manager is,” Brown said. “It wasn’t verbal, but he did it all with a look. One of those looks where if he looks at you, you know if you’ve done something really good or really bad.”
Said Kemp: “He’s a guy you want in your corner and he’ll always be one of my all-time favorite managers I played for. He never got too high or too low. He was always even-tempered and a players’ manager. He was never in the clubhouse unless there was a team meeting. He let this place be the players’ locker room and that’s a big deal.”