6:22pm: Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that the Angels have not yet made Pujols an official offer, though he confirms that the interview went well.
6:00pm: It seems the Angels have made up their mind about their next manager, though he still has to agree. According to a report from Sam Blum and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the job is going to go to Albert Pujols as long as he wants it. Per the report, Pujols met with general manager Perry Minasian last night and the meeting went well. Discussions on a deal are in the works but there’s not yet an agreement in place.
It was reported just over a week ago that Pujols would interview for the job and would be a frontrunner. That was just a few days after it was reported that neither Ron Washington nor Ray Montgomery would be back in the job. Washington opened the 2025 season as the skipper but was away for most of the year due to quadruple bypass surgery, with Montgomery covering for him on an interim basis. Torii Hunter has also been reported as a candidate but today’s reporting indicates that Hunter would only be a real consideration if things fall through with Pujols.
Per Blum and Woo, the Angels hope to make an official announcement before the World Series, though there are still some contractual things to work out. The report suggests that Pujols’s personal services contract could be a factor.
The ten-year, $240MM contract he signed with the Angels in 2011 included a ten-year, $10MM personal services contract for after his retirement as a player. He finished his playing career after the 2022 season. He had been released by the Angels and then spent some time with the Dodgers and Cardinals. In February of 2023, he rejoined the Angels as a special assistant to honor that personal services pact. Since he’s only three seasons into that deal, there are seven years left. It’s not clear how the existing contract would impact whatever is being negotiated for him to take the skipper job.
Pujols has previously expressed an interest in becoming a manager but has no experience in affiliated ball, either as a manager or as a coach. He managed Leones del Escogido, a Dominican winter ball team, last offseason. The Leones won the Serie Final over Tigres del Licey in seven games. Pujols is slated to manage the Dominican Republic national team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic but would presumably have to bow out of that gig if he signs with the Angels.
Assuming the sides are able to cross the T’s and dot the I’s, then Pujols will be in the Angels dugout yet again. It feels like a fait accompli at this point, as Blum and Woo report that the coaching staff negotiations are also already in motion. The report notes that former big leaguer Ramón Martínez, brother of Pedro Martínez, is Pujols’s top choice for pitching coach. Barry Enright has been the Halos’ pitching coach for the past two years but it’s fairly common for new managers to make some coaching changes.
The Halos haven’t had a winning season since 2015. Mike Scioscia had a long run as the club’s skipper, from 2000 to 2018. Since then, as the club has struggled, there has been a lot more turnover. Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin, Washington and Montgomery have been at the helm in recent years. It seems Pujols will likely be the next guy to get a chance to turn the ship around.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images
This is outrageous behavior. Go to the corner Arte.
It’s better than Brad Ausmus
Based on what?
Based on him sucking
Why is it outrageous?
If there was any doubt of who’s running things, this is your answer. Highly doubt this is Perry’s first choice. It’s Arte’s. And this feels like Arte trying to save money because of Pujols special assistant contract.
I like Pujols, but this just feels awkward. Very awkward.
The last 10-15 years have been awkward in Anaheim. Interestingly enough, the same offseason they signed Pujols to his original deal.
Arte is the general manager?
Darragh is probably still feeling the effects of celebrating the Jays victory in the ALDS, cut him some slack.
De facto GM.
Moreno is the owner of, not the GM.
To be fair, we all know that Arte is doing the GM job.
And calling the shots on the field, filling out the line up card, he might even be selling cotton candy in the stands too!
Is there a precedent to a player this great being a successful manager? I guess Frank Robinson but a little before my time.
I know he wants to manage, but the way the Angels treat their managers, why would someone with options want that job?
he owes Artie money
Pete Rose of the Reds and Eddie Matthews of the Braves come to mind as great players whose careers as managers did not go so well. The latter was the manager when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s HR record. He was also fired that year.
No really great players were also great managers if playoff appearances and pennants are the criteria for management results.
Joe Torre was a 9x All-Star catcher he was the most successful. Some others include Red Schoendienst who was a 10x All-Star pitcher before managing in 1967 the Cardinals to a world title. Bob Lemon 7x All-Star managed the Yankees to a 1978 World title. Yogi Berra managed both the Yankees and Mets to pennants. Ted Williams tried but he wasn’t that successful as a manager.
Thanks for the information. I always underrate how good of a player Torre actually was
Yeah people forget Torre was the real deal until his knees gave out.
MVP in 1973 as well.
Oops 1971 meant to say.
Was a legitimate HOF candidate as a player.
Torre was an OK manager until he came to the Yankees. The Cards and Mets were lousy. He walked into a good situation in Atlanta and still couldn’t maintain it. The NYY front office and scouting staff was terrific and he was well suited for a situation that didn’t require a lot of hands-on management.
And he’s a great person, to be sure, but it took a couple of decades for him to have continued success.
Yogi Berra
Arte Moreno is the owner, not the GM.
This is the most “Angels Thing” ever.
Horrible organization!
reports suggest pujols is considering multiple job offers including captain of the titanic, captain of the hindenberg, captain of the exxon valdez and director of the madame web sequel
Madame web 😂😂😂 got me dyin over here
Rendon approves
Rendon is already hurt and ready to go on the IL to start the season.
Pujols with the angels as a batter worked out so well, they just wanna continue the good vibes
Great idea. Now make Rendon the GM, and Josh Hamilton the bench coach. This is the recipe for success. Arte, pay them whatever the want.
Pujols was so depressing as an angel I have no idea why they want him back there
That would be like Adrian beltre managing the mariners or Derek jeter managing the marlins
Jeter was like in the Marlins ownership group and was GM for awhile lol.
This silly idea surely originated in the backrooms of ESPN.com. This idea is stupid, even by Arte Moreno standards.
I don’t know, this is right up Arte’s alley. Mike Scoscia was their last legitimate manager. Wash too, but he was there for such a short period of time.
Maddon was legit. He gave Maddon a crappy roster and fired him when the team lost a bunch of games in a row.
Maddon wasn’t a yes-man. That’s why he got fired.
Will Pujols be the oldest manager in the MLB? Wasn’t he born in like 1912?
Perry initiated and, with Arte’s approval, completed the ungraceful act of releasing Albert. In no world does Perry want Albert as his manager. Nor would Albert want anything to do with Perry. Only Arte could conceive of such a reunion.
I think the whole Pujols release thing was known and worked out with Pujols ahead of time. He likely already had the Dodgers deal worked out too.
Jack Clark , bench coach….wink wink
Let’s be honest
How much managing does a person actually do?
This is where analytics comes in to play Dave Robert is the poster child for it
The thing that manages major league baseball teams now is a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers on it and some MIT geek punching information into a computer
Analytics has ruined baseball
I believe there’s managers out there who still actually manage.
Some younger, “yes-man” type managers however are the ones who let the MIT geek manage.
A-rod needs to become a manager somewhere. He’s a baseball savant
“Baseball savant”..Did you say “lifetime cheater” or “baseball savant?”
Please let him become Yankees GM. It would be hilarious.
I would tune into every press conference with popcorn ready.
Arte is allergic to success. The Angels only succeeded early in his tenure due to holdovers from the end of the Disney era.
Why Albert? The managerial job with the Angels never ends well.
Such an Arte move
At least if Pujols is lousy, nobody will notice. The team is garbage.
lol solid point but unfortunately for Pujols this will be his second poor ending to a tenure in Los Angelheim. We all know how this is going to go and he will be blamed for it
Go, Arte, go!
….back to AZ!
Will Yadier Molina leave the Cardinals organization to be on Albert’s coaching staff?
Nightingale also reported that Pujols had the Cobb salad for lunch with a water with a lemon twist…
What could possibly go wrong? (Gets out the popcorn)
Minimum 3 more years of the same terrible baseball with no improvemont in scouting, drafting or development.
Just Arturo Morono feeding his dumbest ego. Take all the gold with you when the judgement time comes to you!
Pull hose will be good. Get some starting pitching and a good relief pitcher.