ANAHEIM -- The Angels’ offseason is moving, but not in the clean, decisive way a normal winter usually does. With new ownership and leadership still working through the approval process, the club is operating in a holding pattern - even as the search for its next general manager has already begun.
Interim general manager John Mozeliak said the Angels are casting a wide net for the job and that officials from Kroenke Sports & Entertainment have already started preliminary interviews with candidates. The club has spoken with executives from organizations that have been consistently successful, including the Dodgers and Brewers, though Mozeliak stressed the process is still in its early stages.
That search is unfolding while the Angels wait for the new ownership to be officially approved. A vote is not expected this month, even with the Owners Meetings coming up next week. For now, Mozeliak said he is there to help and handle the day-to-day work as an “innkeeper.”
The biggest takeaway from the GM Meetings was that the free-agent market is expected to move quickly this month, but the Angels may not be in position to jump in right away. The CBA is set to expire on Dec. 1, and the early action has already started, with reliever Evan Phillips agreeing to a three-year, $35 million deal with the Braves and first baseman Jake Bauers landing a four-year, $58 million contract with the Red Sox.
Mozeliak made it clear he likely won’t be making any major moves before his contract expires next month. His job at the GM Meetings was to gather information on the free-agent and trade markets and pass that along to KSE.
Even with the uncertainty, the Angels know they need help. Mozeliak said the club has to add to the roster this offseason, in part so it doesn’t have to rush younger players or prospects.
The needs are obvious: outfield, second base, third base, catcher and the bullpen. Free agency may not be the immediate path to fixing those holes, but trades remain a possibility this month.
The front office search itself may also point toward the kind of leadership KSE prefers. Mozeliak said it would not be surprising if the new ownership group hires someone younger, based on how its other teams are run. He noted that KSE is not as familiar with baseball, which is why it is speaking with multiple candidates and trying to understand how winning organizations are built.
He pointed to the success of younger hires across KSE’s sports portfolio, including Rams GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay, Nuggets GM Tim Connolly, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta. Each has won a championship in his sport.
Mozeliak said he has stayed in contact with Kevin Demoff, the president of team and media operations for KSE, during the process. Demoff, the longtime Rams president, oversees the other clubs under the KSE umbrella.
But Mozeliak also said KSE and Demoff have the authority to run their own interviews, so he has not been briefed on every candidate. He expects to become more involved once the field narrows, though he said he is comfortable stepping away when his contract ends and never considered taking an advisor role.
There was also movement on the coaching side. The Angels declined Kurt Suzuki’s option as manager in ’27, but offered him a special assistant role, and he accepted. It is the same position he held from 2023-25 before taking over as manager last year.
Several other coaches will remain in the organization, though they are currently headed to Minor League assignments. Tim Leveque will serve as Minor League pitching coordinator, Michael Wuertz will be the Triple-A Salt Lake pitching coach, Jobel Jiménez will coach hitting at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and Keith Johnson will work as a Minor League baserunning and outfield coordinator. Any of them could still return to the Major League staff if the new regime wants them back.
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Angels And Braves Suddenly Have A New Trade Connection Again
Perry Minasian is back in the picture for the Braves, this time as a senior adviser to amateur scouting after his run as general manager of the Angels. For Angels fans, it is a familiar name with a familiar kind of footprint, because Minasian has long been tied to the kind of front-office movement that can shape a roster far beyond one season.
He will not be sitting in on trade talks, but his arrival in Atlanta still gives the two clubs another layer of connection. Minasian has a history of helping facilitate deals between the Angels and Braves, and even without direct involvement in negotiations, his presence could matter whenever those teams cross paths again. [Read more 🡒]