Oakland Athletics sign manager Bob Melvin to extension through 2018
By Tim Haberin
The Oakland Athletics have announced a two-year contract extension with manager Bob Melvin that will keep the skipper with the club through the 2018 season.
The move might seem a bit surprising considering Oakland’s rocky 2015 performance. The team has stumbled to a 60-79 record to this point, landing them in the cellar of the AL West. However, Melvin’s tenure with the A’s has contained more high points than low ones.
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Since taking over in June 2011, Melvin has helmed the franchise to a 385-339 (.532) overall mark. The A’s made the postseason in three consecutive seasons (2012-2014) under his watch, including division titles in ’12 and ’13. Melvin also took home his second Manager of the Year Award in 2012 after piloting Oakland to 94 wins. He had previously won the honor in 2009 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As the regular season winds down, Melvin’s contract extension could be the first in a series of imminent decisions concerning A’s leadership. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the organization is expected to name longtime general manager Billy Beane as team president by the end of the year. Current assistant general manager David Forst would then take over as GM, though Beane would retain final say on all baseball decisions.
Despite this season’s disappointments, Oakland appears ready to re-invest in its current shot-callers both on the field and in the front office. They are likely banking on a significant rebound from the team in 2016, and that might not be such an outlandish possibility. The squad’s Pythagorean record (fueled by a +5 run differential, better than three of its division rivals) presently stands at 70-69, a full ten wins superior to its actual mark.