The Angels’ manager search has already taken a hit, and now another familiar name is off the board.
Rocco Baldelli has taken himself out of the running to become the next manager of the Seattle Mariners, according to Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Baldelli had been floated as a possible fit for the Angels as well, but that connection now looks shaky at best.
Baldelli’s resume still stands out. In seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, he went 527-505 and helped deliver three AL Central titles, per Polishuk. His time in Minneapolis wasn’t always smooth, though, and the organization’s uneven commitment to winning was part of the backdrop.
He also guided the Twins to a two-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2023 Wild Card Series. But the following September was a mess, and Minnesota’s fire sale at the trade deadline played a major role in the decision to move on from him.
After that season, Baldelli said he hoped to manage again, according to Polishuk, and he didn’t close the door on returning in 2026 with a new club. Instead, he stepped into a front office role with the Los Angeles Dodgers while also prioritizing family time.
That helped fuel speculation that he could land with the Angels, though it remains unclear whether the club actually brought him in for an interview.
It’s also unclear how he would have fit with the new ownership group. Stan Kroenke has not offered any hints about the direction of the next managerial hire, and interim Angels GM John Mozeliak said a general manager will be chosen first when he announced he would not remain after his contract expires in December.
For now, the Angels’ plans remain murky. Beyond moving on from Mozeliak and manager Kurt Suzuki, there hasn’t been much public movement, and that likely won’t change while the World Series is still going on.
The next real checkpoint comes with the GM meetings beginning on Nov. 9. With the latest possible end to the World Series set for Oct. 31, that’s when the Angels could make their presence known - and with free agency about to heat up, there may even be a better sense of who will be representing them there.
In Other News...
Angels Prospect Joel Hurtado Is Following A Very Familiar Breakout Path
Joel Hurtado has become one of the more intriguing pitching names in the Angels system, and not just because the radar gun likes him. The right-hander is built around a high-velocity fastball, but what has really pushed him forward is the way his command has started to come along, giving the organization a young arm with a chance to move beyond pure stuff.
There is also a familiar feel to the way his development is unfolding inside the system, the kind of trajectory the Angels have seen before from another pitching prospect who climbed the ladder with a similar profile. Hurtado spoke in an exclusive interview about his workload and what he is trying to build toward, and that part of the story matters as much as the velocity because it points to the larger question the Angels now have to answer about how far they want to let this breakout go. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Could Exploit One New Advantage To Fix Multiple Roster Holes
The Angels are looking ahead to 2027 and, in the process, trying to find a different kind of trade market than the one that usually grabs attention in winter. Rather than shopping for the flashiest available name, the club is examining buy-low options tied to big contracts on other teams, the sort of deals that can solve more than one problem if the performance rebounds. Among the possible fits are Toronto infielder Andres Gimenez, Chicago White Sox starter Luis Castillo and Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon, each bringing a mix of upside, cost and risk.
For an Angels roster that has plenty of holes to patch, that strategy could make sense if the price is right and the front office is willing to take on money as much as talent. Gimenez would add infield help, while the pitching options would address a rotation that needs more stability, but the appeal of those names depends heavily on whether their clubs are motivated to move them and how much contract baggage the Angels would have to absorb. It is the kind of market that can change quickly, and the exact shape of the opportunity is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Angels May Have Found A Power Bat Worth Watching Fast
Gavin Grahovac did not take long to make a first impression in the Angels system. The third-round pick from the 2026 draft got to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga for his first pro action and showed the kind of pop that can move a prospect onto the radar quickly, finishing with a .304 average and a run of strong offensive production that hinted at more than just a hot start.
The appeal is even better when you remember how much time he lost before turning pro. Grahovac was coming off a shoulder injury and had to rebuild momentum before getting back on the field, which makes the power he flashed all the more notable. For an Angels organization always looking for impact bats to emerge, he now looks like one of the early names worth tracking closely as his development continues. [Read more 🡒]