The Angels’ managerial opening may not stay open for long.
With John Mozeliak now tasked with building a new baseball operations department after Perry Minasian’s firing, one name immediately jumps back into the picture: Albert Pujols. The fit is obvious on paper, and not just because Pujols has made it clear he wants to manage in Major League Baseball. Mozeliak and Pujols go back three decades, all the way to the Cardinals scouting department in 1999, when Mozeliak drafted him in the 13th round while plenty of teams questioned Pujols’ real age.
That relationship only deepened once Pujols became a star in St. Louis.
He was productive enough to land a massive contract extension in 2004 and became the face of the franchise by the time Mozeliak was promoted to general manager in 2008. By all accounts, the two worked well together.
Their paths split in 2011, when Mozeliak held firm and Pujols left for the Angels on a record-breaking 10-year, $240 million contract. Even that didn’t close the door for good. When the Cardinals got another shot to bring him back in 2020, Mozeliak did exactly that, giving Pujols a victory lap that ended with his 700th career home run.
There’s another layer here, too. As part of that Angels deal, Pujols also signed a 10-year personal services contract with the club.
In recent years, he’s been a visible presence in the Dominican Republic as the Angels have looked to expand their reach there. He is currently an assistant general manager, which puts him directly under Mozeliak.
That connection could matter a lot if the Angels move on from Kurt Suzuki after 2026. Suzuki was hired for only the 2026 season, along with his assistants, in what looks like a very tight-fisted approach from Arte Moreno. The thinking, at least as described here, is that Moreno did not want to commit to guaranteed coaching salaries with a potential 2027 lockout looming.
The result has not been pretty. Suzuki’s lineup choices and bullpen usage have often gone against both logic and math. The roster may not be strong enough to win no matter who’s in the dugout, but Suzuki has still made a habit of decisions that raise eyebrows.
Pujols interviewed for the job this offseason, but the talks fell apart. He wanted control over his assistant coaching hires and wanted the Angels to commit more seriously to analytics and player development. Moreno, meanwhile, wanted control of the staff himself and has long been known for cutting corners in both player development and front office analytics.
Money and contract length were part of the breakdown, too. A figure like Pujols was never going to settle for a one-year arrangement.
Still, if the Angels’ job opens again after 2026, Pujols figures to be right back in the mix. With Mozeliak running baseball operations and a familiar working relationship already in place, the two would likely be able to agree on the staff structure and the level of data they want behind the team.
And with Pujols already in the organization and already on the payroll, the path to the dugout may be shorter than it looks. A longtime friend could be the one to hand him the job.
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