Thad Levine Jim Mone/Associated Press
As the Red Sox narrow the pool of potential candidates to lead their baseball operations department, one perceived potential favorite has been eliminated from the mix.
Boston informed Twins General Manager Thad Levine on Monday that he would not advance to the second round of interviews, sources told MassLive on Tuesday. Levine, who is the No. 2 in Minnesota under President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey, was one of seven people known to have interviewed for the position and was believed to be one of the front-runners early in the process. Instead, the Red Sox are going in a different direction, eliminating a strong candidate and seemingly increasing the likelihood that either assistant GM Eddie Romero or Cubs Assistant General Manager Craig Breslow will ultimately take over.
Twins Daily’s Jeremy Nygaard first reported that Levine was out of the mix Monday night. The 51-year-old has been second-in-command to Falvey since Nov. 2016, when he joined the Twins after a long stint as the Rangers’ assistant GM from 2005-16. He also has spent time in the Rockies and Dodgers organizations. Levine has been linked to multiple open GM jobs in the past but has been hesitant to leave Minnesota. He interviewed for the Phillies job that ultimately went to Dave Dombrowski in 2020 and has also drawn interest from the Mets and Rockies in the past. Levine has never gotten the chance to run a baseball operations department but is highly regarded for his work both in Texas and Minnesota throughout his career.
The Red Sox are whittling down their field of prospective candidates this week after conducting first-round interviews over the past few weeks. Manager Alex Cora is in Boston to be part of the process, according to multiple sources. It’s unclear if any other candidates have been told they’re out. Breslow, former Pirates GM Neal Huntington and former Sox outfielder/Giants manager Gabe Kapler and three internal candidates – assistant GMs Romero and Mike Groopman as well as VP of amateur scouting and player development Paul Toboni – also interviewed, as well as former Astros GM James Click, who pulled himself out of the running. Breslow emerged as a strong candidate during initial interviews and still appears to be one of the favorites; Romero has long been viewed as a strong potential option as well. It’s unknown how many candidates will advance to the second round.
Boston has been met with plenty of resistance from prospective candidates throughout the search, with a series of high-profile names turning down the chance to interview altogether. Former Marlins GM Kim Ng, Phillies GM Sam Fuld, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes, former Marlins boss and current MLB executive Michael Hill, and former Rangers GM (and current Rays adviser) Jon Daniels, Falvey, Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen and assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye are all known to have declined to talk with the club. Red Sox assistant GM Raquel Ferreira removed herself from the equation, as well, citing family reasons.
The San Francisco Giants will hire Bob Melvin away from the San Diego Padres to be their manager, according to sources. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
THE SAN FRANCISCO Giants have hired Manager Bob Melvin away from the division rival San Diego Padres, three people with direct knowledge of the agreement said.
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had made a formal announcement of Melvin’s hiring – which was likely to be official by late Tuesday night. The Athletic first reported Melvin was the Giants’ choice.
The 61-year-old Melvin will be returning to the Bay Area where he grew up, cheered for and later played for the Giants and then managed the Oakland Athletics from 2011-21. An introductory news conference is planned for Wednesday.
Melvin had one year left on his contract with San Diego but leaves amid reports of friction with General Manager A.J. Preller. Melvin managed the Padres for two seasons, reaching the 2022 NL Championship Series but then missing the playoffs this season with a $258 million payroll, the third-highest in the majors. It’s unclear if the Padres will receive compensation.
Melvin, a three-time Manager of the Year who won in both leagues, went 171-153 with the big-spending Padres and will enter his 21st season as a manager next year. He has a career record of 1,517-1,425 with eight postseason appearances while guiding Arizona, Seattle, Oakland and San Diego.
A native of nearby Palo Alto, California, Melvin loves the Bay Area. He attended the University of California-Berkeley and played for his hometown Giants from 1986-88.
Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi had hoped to find a new manager by the start of free agency to replace Gabe Kapler, fired with three days remaining in the season. Kapler was 295-248 over three-plus seasons, leading the to a franchise-record 107 wins to edge the 106-win Dodgers for the NL West title in 2021 before missing the playoffs the last two seasons.
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