Melvin was unhappy in Oakland, and the #Padres just landed one of the greatest in the game. Sure, there was his proclamation after the disastrous sweep the A’s suffered in Toronto that “the best part of our season is yet to come.” But as reality set in, Melvin seemed more impatient than usual during his daily conversations with reporters - particularly when he repeatedly faced some form of this question: “What makes the Mariners so good this season?” But with an obvious end in sight, and the front office constantly letting the world know that the Coliseum wasn’t suitable and relocation was a possiblity, even Melvin couldn’t coax one last second-half run out of his team.Īs the season wore on and the A’s started falling behind other American League teams in the standings, one after the other, it clearly wore on Melvin. Then again, the way that the A’s tried to infuse energy into a team that was showing signs of malaise in the middle of this season signaled that 2021 might be the last run for the current group of players.

It’s a jarring turn of events after they acquired four well-regarded veteran players at the trade deadline.

Letting Melvin head south is the opposite of a win-now move for the A’s. It’s not overly cynical to assume that Melvin’s salary was a motivating factor for the A’s and a reason why they didn’t demand any compensation from the Padres when they hired him. The A’s will also probably save some money in the process, regardless of whom they choose as his replacement.

After 11 years and six postseason appearances, the A’s may have felt like they owed Melvin an opportunity to manage a team with a major-league payroll. The most obvious would be that Melvin wanted to leave.

His Seed by Steve Berman