The Angels are back in the market for a manager, and this one comes with a hefty cleanup job attached.
Los Angeles moved on from Kurt Suzuki after declining his contract option for the 2027 season, bringing his run to an end after just one year on the job. That season went sideways in a hurry: the Angels finished 62-100, suffered the first 100-loss season in franchise history and stretched their postseason drought to 12 straight years.
With Stan Kroenke coming in as the new owner, the organization now has to chart its next move. A handful of names already stand out as possible replacements.
Albert Pujols is the most obvious tie to the franchise. He spent 2012 through 2021 with the Angels and still has a personal services contract with the team.
Pujols also interviewed for the opening a year ago before the club went with Suzuki. Since his playing days ended, he has also picked up managerial experience in the Dominican Republic, where he guided Leones del Escogido to a league championship and a Caribbean Series title.
If the Angels want someone who has already handled the day-to-day grind of a big league job, Mike Shildt makes a strong case. He has managed both the St.
Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres, and he is currently working as a coordinator of instruction with the Baltimore Orioles. That kind of background could matter for a club that needs to develop younger players while reworking the roster.
Torii Hunter also brings a deep Angels connection. A five-time All-Star, he played five seasons in Anaheim and remains with the organization as a special assistant.
His stature and playing background could help him relate to players, but he has never managed in the majors. The Angels would have to decide whether his familiarity with the franchise outweighs the risk of taking another first-time MLB manager after Suzuki’s rough season.
Ryan Flaherty offers a different kind of profile. He has been around major league staffs, first as the Padres’ bench coach and then in the same role with the Chicago Cubs in 2024. He has also been in the conversation for managerial jobs before, including interviews with Baltimore and reported finalist status in Minnesota.
Rocco Baldelli rounds out the list as another experienced option. He managed the Minnesota Twins from 2019 through 2025 and won American League Manager of the Year in 2019. After his time in Minnesota, he spent the 2026 season in an advisory role with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which gives him familiarity with the Southern California market that could help in Anaheim.
In Other News...
Angels Face An Early Test In Their Push For International Stars
The Angels are expected to be in the market for Japanese third baseman Teruaki Sato once he is posted after the World Series, giving the organization an early chance to show whether it wants to be more than a passive participant in the international market. For a club that has not been a major player in that space in recent years, even the possibility of pursuing a high-profile Japanese talent is notable, especially as the Angels look to rebuild their standing with players from that market.
New ownership under Stan Kroenke could be the swing factor if the Angels decide to make a serious run at Sato. The front office has not been prominently tied to the early rumor cycle, but this is the kind of opportunity that could change how the team is viewed abroad if it chooses to press its case aggressively. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Top Prospect Is Already A Tough Call For New Leadership
The Angels latest draft class already comes with a layer of uncertainty, and Jared Grindlinger sits right at the center of it. Selected in July as a two-way player, the 17-year-old prospect represents a different kind of bet for an organization trying to reshape its player development approach, with interim GM John Mozeliak overseeing the draft before his departure at the end of December and a new farm director expected to come from outside the organization.
Grindlinger is still sorting out what his professional path will look like, which is no small task for a teenager trying to do two jobs at once. For now, the Angels are leaning into his bat while the pitching side of his game remains a longer-term question, and the early steps have underscored how much patience this project may require from the new leadership that inherits it. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Enter A Crucial Offseason With One Big Front Office Problem
The Angels are heading into a winter of real uncertainty after interim GM John Mozeliak said the club has moved on from manager Kurt Suzuki and will not keep him beyond the end of his contract in December. With a new owner in Stan Kroenkes group set to take over after the start of the new year, the organization is trying to navigate a crucial offseason while the current leadership structure is already shifting underneath it.
Free agency arrives in November, and the timing only makes the transition messier for a team that needs clarity on who is steering the roster decisions. The usual winter-building window is already in jeopardy, which means the Angels may have to sort out major baseball matters at exactly the moment their front office situation becomes hardest to define. [Read more 🡒]