The 2023 season is one that the majority of the San Diego Padres organization would love to forget. After entering the season with high expectations, the Padres stumbled throughout the year, ultimately missing the postseason entirely.
They struggled to find any sort of consistency on the field until the final few weeks, but it was far too late. After a year like that, something needed to change so the team decided to allow former manager Bob Melvin to walk.
Melvin ended up signing with the division rival San Francisco Giants. In an interview with Sportico, Melvin didn’t hold back on the frustrations that came from the Padres' 2023 season.
“You know, it was just a rough year, right? There were high expectations. We didn’t make the playoffs. We were a high payroll team. Just throwing money around doesn’t get you anything.”
Throughout the year, there were issues in the clubhouse that were widely reported. Melvin himself had problems with general manager A.J. Preller, which added to his departure.
Preller opened up about his relationship with Melvin from last season with Sportico’s Barry Bloom:
"I remained friendly with Bob, but it was all about the situation, not friendship. For me personally [2023] was probably my most disappointing season.”
With Melvin now in San Francisco, the two sides can move on. They had a good run together, reaching the NLCS in 2022, but this separation seems to be for the better.
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