San Diego Padres rumors: MLB insider doubles down on Bob Melvin's bleak future as Padres manager

Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote in August that San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin could be on the hot seat if his team didn't make the postseason. Now, in his most recent column, Nightengale doubled down on those thoughts, penning that Melvin "could take the fall" if the Padres aren't playing meaningful baseball in October.

San Diego Padres rumors: Will Bob Melvin "take the fall" for underwhelming season?

Nightengale wrote in his weekly column, "Someone will pay the price, and with GM A.J. Preller still treasured by owner Peter Seidler, not to mention under contract through 2026, manager Bob Melvin could take the fall."

Melvin signed a three-year deal to manage the Padres before the 2022 season, meaning he still has one year left on the contract that brought him from the Oakland A's to San Diego. However, as San Diego has struggled this season despite some big names and a very big payroll, much of the attention has been on Melvin's ability to not only harness that energy, but get the most out of his players on a daily basis.

From Juan Soto's damning comments about the team giving up on some days to Nightengale and fellow MLB insider Jon Heyman questioning just how much heart the team has, there are plenty of people wondering about the chemistry inside the San Diego clubhouse. Eventually, those questions will start being pointed toward the manager, and that's where Melvin finds himself as his team sits at 65-74 and 6.5 games out of the Wild Card chase entering Tuesday night's home date with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Nightengale adds in his column that, "Bench coach Ryan Flaherty would be among the favorites to succeed him" should Melvin be relieved of his duties. We added three other potential candidates for the manager's job in San Diego in this article.