Report: Padres permit Giants to interview Melvin

The San Diego Padres granted the San Francisco Giants permission to interview their manager, Bob Melvin, for the same role in the Bay Area, report The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly and Dennis Lin.

Melvin has been the Giants' front-runner to replace Gabe Kapler for weeks, sources told NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.

The 61-year-old Melvin has managed the Padres for the past two seasons after spending the previous eleven campaigns with the Oakland Athletics.

The Padres performed well under the three-time Manager of the Year in his first season, advancing to the National League Championship Series before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies.

They failed to replicate that success this season, finishing third in the NL West with an 82-80 record.

Melvin is under contract for one more season but reportedly has a rocky relationship with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, although the executive recently called the reports "overblown."

"There have been reports that, hey, we don't speak. We're talking four or five times a day," Preller said. "Personally, we have a friendship. I don't put a lot of stock into the unnamed reports and sources and stories that are out of context."