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Could the Padres fire manager Bob Melvin?

Think back to the start of the 2023 season. The San Diego Padres were one of many teams hopeful that a collection of star power would propel them into the postseason at the very least. After making it to the NLCS last year, the hope was to get further this year.

Instead? They're now 65-73, totaling their losses from last year with a month left to go. They have a 2.0% chance of making the postseason according to Fangraphs' model.

So as you might expect, the organization will consider changes. Those changes could be with player personnel -- like Juan Soto -- but they also could be with leadership.

In a recent column, Bob Nightengale suggests manager Bob Melvin is more likely to take the fall than general manager AJ Preller, who is liked by ownership. He thinks Ryan Flaherty would be a front-runner to succeed him, currently the bench coach for the team.

Melvin, a long-time manager for the Oakland Athletics has not had a long leash if this is the end of the road for him in San Diego. He's been the lead dog the last two seasons and still has an overall winning record. While his team has not displayed as much passion as one would hope, Melvin doesn't exactly feel like the sole reason the team isn't panning out.