Bob Melvin 2022 contract option exercised by A’s

Earlier this month, Bob Melvin became the winningest manager in the half-century history of the Oakland A’s. Now he’ll get the chance to add to that total.

The A’s announced Tuesday that they’ve exercised the 2022 option on Melvin’s contract, officially keeping him in their dugout for next summer.

Melvin signed a deal after the 2018 season that made him one of MLB’s highest-paid managers at around $3.5 million annually. The three-year deal covered 2019-21 with an option for ‘22, so that pact is now maxed out and a new one would be needed to keep him beyond next season.

As far as most A’s fans are concerned, the team may as well give Melvin a lifetime contract. After replacing the wildly unpopular and unsuccessful Bob Geren midway through 2011, New Bob led Oakland to the postseason six times over the next nine years, and he’s on track this summer to hopefully make it 7-of-10 years. Along the way he won a pair of AL Manager of the Year Awards, for the impossibly magical 2012 division title squad and also the 2018 upstart breakout edition of the current contending core.

• Melvin, OAK: 808-715, .531, 6-of-9 years reaching postseason

The 59-year-old is also a Bay Area lifer, born and raised in the South Bay and then going to school at UC Berkeley.

This is as easy of a win as you’ll ever find. Everyone from the fans to the players to the media to the organization loves Melvin, and the feeling seems to be mutual. He’s great at his job, which he gets to do in his home market, where one of the cheapest teams in all of pro sports is willing to pay him top dollar to do it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

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The Oakland wins record was previously held by Hall of Famer Tony La Russa with 799. La Russa came out of retirement this year to manage the Chicago White Sox. Click here for more details on the list of winningest A’s skippers.

For Melvin’s entire career, including time at the helm of the Mariners and D’Backs, he holds a record of 1301-1223, which places him 35th all-time in victories. He could potentially move up three more spots this year — he’s 10 back of the Angels’ Joe Maddon but gaining quickly, then 12 and 51 back of the next two (retired) names.