Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
In the same way that players feel extra pressure to produce entering their last season before free agency, managers and front office bosses similarly feel the heat when entering the final year of their contracts. The difference is that even if a player has a rough season, they’re usually still in position to land at least a one-year deal in some fashion for the next year — a manager or a GM could find themselves fired in the wake of a bad year, with no guarantee about when (or even if) they’ll get another shot at leading a dugout or a front office.
This list details the baseball operations bosses (whatever their specific title) and managers who are entering the final year of their contracts, as well as the personnel whose contractual situations aren’t publicly known. Some clubs don’t publicize the terms of employee contracts, so it is entirely possible that some of these names signed extensions months ago but the teams have chosen to keep these new deals quiet for the time being. And, of course, the length of a contract doesn’t always correlate to job security. One bad season or even a poor start could suddenly threaten the status of a manager or head of baseball ops that seemingly seems safe right now.
As always, thanks to Cot’s Baseball Contracts for reference information on some of these contracts.
Angels: It’s pretty unusual to see a newly-hired manager already on this list, yet that is the situation Kurt Suzuki finds himself in after signing just a one-year guarantee to become the Halos’ new skipper. The deal has multiple club option years attached, and while one would imagine Suzuki wouldn’t be let go so quickly, the Angels’ manager’s office has been enough of a revolving door in recent years that it is hard to guess what owner Arte Moreno might do next. GM Perry Minasian is also entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, with a club option for the 2027 season. Ten consecutive losing seasons has led to a lot of discord in Anaheim, and an eleventh sub-.500 year might get both Suzuki and Minasian sent packing by next offseason.
Astros: GM Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada are each entering their final season under contract, with Brown hired in January 2023 and Espada in November 2023. Earlier this month, Astros owner Jim Crane didn’t entirely close the door on the possibility of an extension for either Brown or Espada, but said “I think we’ll go through this year like we always do, evaluate it and then make the decision at the end of the year.” Reading between the lines, it certainly seems like the spotlight will be on Brown and Espada, especially since the Astros are coming off their first non-playoff season since 2016. While the team’s laundry list of injuries is a valid excuse for their 2025 letdown, some personnel changes might well be coming if Houston can’t get back into the postseason hunt this year.
Athletics: General manager David Forst’s contract has already expired, as his most recent deal with the team was up following the 2025 campaign. Owner John Fisher has stated that “conversations are ongoing” about another extension, and since it has apparently been business as usual for the A’s this offseason, it seems like it’s just a matter of time before Forst formally extends his long stint in the team’s front office. Forst only officially took over the baseball operations department in the 2022-23 offseason, but he has been with the Athletics since 2000, first working as a scout and then becoming one of Billy Beane’s top lieutenants.
Blue Jays: GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider are both entering the final year of their contracts, as the Jays exercised their 2026 club option on Schneider’s deal back in November. This duo was facing heavy pressure heading into the 2025 season, yet Toronto’s AL pennant and near-miss in the World Series has entirely changed the narrative for both Atkins and Schneider. The Blue Jays already extended team president/CEO Mark Shapiro a few weeks ago, and extensions for Atkins and Schneider should follow before Opening Day.
Brewers: Pat Murphy is entering the final season of his three-year contract, but it is hard to believe the Brew Crew won’t have the manager soon locked up on another deal. Murphy has been named NL Manager of the Year in each of the first two seasons, won consecutive NL Central titles, and this October led the Brewers to their first NLCS appearance since 2018. October also saw Matt Arnold receive a promotion from GM to president of baseball operations, even though Arnold has already been the Brewers’ top baseball exec for the last three seasons. Arnold’s specific contract situation hasn’t been made clear for a few years now, but it would surely seem like Milwaukee’s continued success and his new job title probably landed the PBO an extension at some point. Regardless, Arnold seems in no danger of being fired even if 2026 is his last year under contract.
Cardinals: Oli Marmol is headed into his final year, but the manger and the Cardinals have already started discussing an extension to retain Marmol beyond the 2026 campaign. It seems like something should be finalized in due course, with St. Louis continuing to entrust Marmol with the reins as the team now moves into a full-on rebuild phase.
Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo has quietly become one of baseball’s longer-tenured managers, as Lovullo has been running Arizona’s dugout since the 2016-17 offseason. He has signed multiple extensions (none for more than two guaranteed years) since his initial three-year pact, yet while 2026 represents the final year of Lovullo’s current deal, the Diamondbacks are reportedly going to let Lovullo enter the season without an extension in place. Owner Ken Kendrick did praise Lovullo’s efforts in keeping the D’Backs competitive amidst a swath of pitching injuries and a partial trade deadline selloff in 2025, but it is intriguing that the vote of confidence wasn’t backed up by another contract. This will be a storyline to watch as the Diamondbacks’ season progresses, and a change in the dugout might well be coming if the D’Backs can’t get back into the postseason.
Dodgers: President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman first came to Los Angeles on a five-year, $35MM pact covering the 2015-19 seasons, and he signed an extension back in November 2019. Terms of that deal weren’t known, yet it is clear that if Friedman hasn’t already signed another new deal in the last six years, the Dodgers are almost surely keen in retaining the executive. The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in every single season of Friedman’s tenure, have won three World Series championships under his leadership, and have become baseball’s dominant franchise due to both their record-high payrolls and their ability to draft and develop minor league talent.
Guardians: Chris Antonetti gets an obligatory mention since the Guardians haven’t publicly addressed his contract status since he signed an extension with the team back in 2013. Following the 2015 season, Antonetti was promoted to the president of baseball operations title, and his decade in charge has seen Cleveland make seven postseason appearances. As the Guards are coming off their sixth AL Central crown of Antonetti’s tenure, there is no sense ownership is looking to make a change, nor is there any sense Antonetti (who has turned down overtures from other teams in the past) is looking to leave.
Mariners: Dan Wilson’s contract terms weren’t made public when he was hired as manager in August 2024, and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s status hasn’t been addressed since he signed a contract extension of an unknown length back in September 2021. It may very well be that Dipoto has quietly signed another deal in the last four-plus years, but regardless, the Mariners’ success in 2025 very likely means neither Dipoto or Wilson are going anywhere, even if the M’s don’t feel the need to publicize any extensions.
Marlins: Previous Miami GM Kim Ng was signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season, and the Marlins chose to pass on that option in order to hire Peter Bendix as the new president of baseball operations. Terms of Bendix’s contract weren’t disclosed, so given the length of Ng’s contract, it is possible Bendix could also be entering his final guaranteed year if Miami pursued the same structure with another first-time front office boss. While Ng’s dismissal caught many in baseball by surprise, Bendix’s job appears to be a lot safer, as the Marlins’ surprising surge to 79 wins in 2025 is a promising step forward for the team’s (latest) rebuild.
Mets: Carlos Mendoza is entering the final guaranteed year of his three-year contract, and New York holds a club option on the manager’s services for the 2027 season. The Mets have overhauled both Mendoza’s coaching staff and a good chunk of the roster in the wake of the slow-motion collapse that left the team outside the playoff picture in 2025, so far more is expected than just an 83-79 record this year. The club option probably means that the Mets will wait until after the season (if at all) to discuss an extension, and given the Mets’ high payroll and expectations, even a slow start might put Mendoza’s status in jeopardy.
Orioles: Mike Elias’ contract terms were never publicized when he was hired to lead Baltimore’s front office in November 2018, though he did receive a title change from general manager to president of baseball operations last offseason. Elias’ specific contract status remains unspecified, and it is possible he could be facing more heat if the O’s have another subpar season. Consecutive playoff appearances were followed by the thud of a 75-87 record in 2025, though ownership appears to have given Elias some support in the form of bigger budget, as the Orioles’ busy offseason has been highlighted by the blockbuster Pete Alonso signing.
Padres: Reports in early November suggested that A.J. Preller was close to signing a new extension to remain as San Diego’s PBO, though close to three months later, there hasn’t been any word of a deal between the two sides. It could be that a contract was signed but simply not publicly announced, or perhaps Preller and the team agreed to table the negotiations until after most of the Padres’ offseason business was complete. Considering all the reports of discord within the Padres’ ownership situation and some possible tension between Preller and team CEO Erik Greupner, a contract extension probably shouldn’t be considered a sure thing until a deal is actually done, though things still seem to be leaning in the direction of Preller getting re-upped. For all of the off-the-field drama that has frequently defined Preller’s long tenure in San Diego, the Padres are coming off their fourth playoff appearance in the last six seasons.
Reds: As Cincinnati is coming off its first playoff berth since 2020, president of baseball operations Nick Krall looks to have a decent amount of job security, and might be in line for an extension depending on his current contract status. Krall has been in charge of the Reds’ front office for the last five seasons, and he received an extension of an unspecified length when he was promoted to the president of baseball operations title following the 2023 campaign.
Tigers: Scott Harris has now finished three full seasons as Detroit’s PBO, so if a four-year contract might be considered the usual minimum for a first-time president of baseball ops, 2026 might be Harris’ final year under contract. It’s all speculative, of course, since Harris’ terms weren’t made public, and it might also be a moot point since Harris could be an extension candidate, if anything. The Tigers have made the second round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, though the team’s late-season collapse in 2025 and the uncertainty over Tarik Skubal’s future remain areas of concern.
Twins: Derek Falvey’s shocking decision to step down as Minnesota’s president of baseball (and business) operations has unexpectedly made GM Jeremy Zoll the top voice in the team’s front office. Zoll was promoted to the GM role in November 2024 to become Falvey’s chief lieutenant, and the length of Zoll’s contract isn’t known. It is fair to guess that Zoll might’ve gotten an extension after becoming general manager, so he probably remains under team control through at least 2027 even after this sudden elevation to the head of the baseball ops department.
White Sox: Chris Getz has been the team’s GM since August 2023, and his tenure has included a record 121-loss season in 2024 and an improvement to “only” 102 losses in 2025. Getz’s contract term wasn’t publicized at the time of his hiring so this is just a speculative entry in case his first deal was only a three-year pact. There doesn’t appear to be any sense that ownership is displeased with the Pale Hose’s progress during the rebuild, so if Getz actually did sign a three-year deal, the Sox might look to extend him at some point this season.
Yankees: Brian Cashman is the longest-tenured front office boss in baseball, acting as the Yankees’ GM since February 1998. That remarkable 28-year run has included 28 winning records and four World Series titles, though the team hasn’t won the Series since 2009. Owner Hal Steinbrenner appears to trust Cashman as much as ever, so it seems very likely that Cashman’s tenure will stretch into a third decade barring an utter disaster of a 2026 season. Cashman’s last deal covered the 2023-26 seasons, but since the Yankees’ aversion to extensions also extends to personnel as well as players, he might not sign his next contract until after his current deal actually expires. It’s a sign of Cashman’s job security that he has waited until December to sign each of his last two contracts to remain with the club.
Perry Minasian Discusses Angels’ Offseason Plans
Angels GM Perry Minasian spoke to reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) today about the club’s disappointing 2025 season, as well plans for the future of the club. Much of the conversation was focused on the decision to move on from both manager Ron Washington and interim manager Ray Montgomery in the dugout and search for a new skipper to lead the club. While Minasian didn’t tip his hand much on the club’s managerial search beyond noting that they’d like to find a new voice in the dugout sooner rather than later, he did make a number of intriguing comments about the state of the team headed into the offseason.
With Kyle Hendricks and Tyler Anderson both headed into free agency this offseason while Anaheim’s array of young pitching arms have yet to establish themselves as viable regular starters, Minasian suggested that there are three pitchers he has penciled into next year’s rotation: Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, and Reid Detmers. Kikuchi and Soriano are hardly surprising as both veterans turned in perfectly solid season in the rotation and remain under control for next year. Detmers, by contrast, is something of a surprise given his rocky tenure in the organization. The lefty was once among the game’s very best pitching prospects and pitched quite well in the rotation from 2022 to ’23 after a shaky debut in 2021.
Things changed last year when he was torched to the tune of a 6.70 ERA in 17 starts and spent much of the season in the minors. This year, Detmers pitched out of the bullpen and enjoyed a solid enough season where he posted a 3.96 ERA with a 3.12 FIP across 63 2/3 innings of work. While that role of single-inning reliever mostly worked out for the lefty, the Angels will now have him try his hand at starting once again. Minasian suggested he’s “earned” a spot in the rotation and that Detmers was “a different guy” last time he pitched as a starter for the club. While it may seem unorthodox to put Detmers back into a role he struggled in after he found success in the bullpen, it’s worth noting that the Angels did the same thing with Soriano to some success. The right-hander hadn’t made even 10 starts at any level since his stint at Single-A in 2019 when the club decided to put him in last year’s rotation, and he’s turned out quite well in that role.
With Detmers and Soriano joining Kikuchi in the rotation next year, that leaves two spots left unsettled. Caden Dana, Mitch Farris, Sam Aldegheri, and Jack Kochanowicz all pitched as starters in the majors for the club this year and remain young and at least somewhat intriguing, but none posted an ERA lower than 6.40 at the big league level this season and all four can be optioned to the minors, making them perhaps best served as depth options to protect against injury. Perhaps the club could invest in the rotation via free agency this winter, but the club’s budget remains a mystery. When asked by reporters about the club’s payroll flexibility this winter, Minasian said (as relayed by Sam Blum of The Athletic) that he and owner Arte Moreno “haven’t gotten into” the details about the club’s budget for next year.
It stands to reason at least some money will be available given that RosterResource projects the club for just $129MM in salary for next year, more than $75MM below where they were this year. Of course, arbitration salaries for both pricey veterans like Taylor Ward as well as first-time eligible players like Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto could make up some of that difference in a hurry, so it’s unclear whether or not Anaheim will be able to shop at the top of the market for arms like Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, and Zac Gallen. This year’s crop of starting pitchers is somewhat thin after that top layer, but there are some solid back-of-the-rotation types like Zack Littell and Adrian Houser available as well.
Turning towards the positional side of things, Minasian made clear that the club plans to try and upgrade both center field and third base this winter. That’s not necessarily a surprise given Bryce Teodosio‘s lackluster performance at the plate, Yoan Moncada‘s impending free agency, and the fact that (according to Fletcher) Anthony Rendon hasn’t yet resumed baseball activities after undergoing surgery earlier this year. Minasian suggested the club also hopes to get more left-handed in the lineup and that Christian Moore would be in competition for a spot in the lineup, which would logically mean there’s room for an addition at second base as well. Aside from simply reuniting with Moncada or Luis Rengifo, the pickings in free agency for left-handed or switch-hitting infielders are somewhat slim. Jorge Polanco would be the cream of the crop if he can return to playing the field regularly, with Adam Frazier, Cavan Biggio, and Willi Castro joining Moncada and Rengifo among the next tier of options.
The idea of making a splash by adding a lefty-swinging center fielder is far more plausible with both Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger likely ticketed for free agency coming off strong seasons, not to mention the availability of Cedric Mullins. Adding one of those three players (or someone similar) becomes harder to imagine when you consider the state of the club’s outfield mix, however. Minasian suggested that the Angels hope to get Mike Trout back into the outfield next year, but that would be a corner outfield capacity rather than moving him back to center.
Jorge Soler is under contract for next year and would be ticketed for regular at-bats at DH, and Minasian suggested that Jo Adell is an option in center field but the club would prefer to leave him in a corner. Taylor Ward enjoyed his best season since 2022 this year while playing exclusively left field. Given that logjam of right-handed outfield bats, it stands to reason that an addition to the outfield mix would either need to be a complementary player who shares time with Adell in center or be paired with a move to deal away one of the team’s other outfielders, though Trout obviously isn’t going anywhere and Soler likely has little value after an injury-marred season. Making a trade to clear room to bring in a free agent center fielder would likely stretch the club’s budget, of course, but perhaps the trade return for someone like Ward or Adell could address a need elsewhere on the roster to lighten that blow.
Angels To Have New Manager In 2026
The Angels are going to have a new skipper next year. Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that neither manager Ron Washington nor interim manager Ray Montgomery will return as manager in 2026.
The Halos hired Washington as their skipper ahead of the 2024 season, a two-year deal with a club option for 2026. After a 63-99 showing last year, he began 2025 back in that job. In June, it was reported that he had to step away from the club indefinitely due to an unspecified health concern, with Montgomery moving from his bench coach role to take over as interim manager. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Washington would stay on leave for the remainder of the season.
In August, Washington revealed that he had undergone a quadruple bypass to remove blockages from his heart valves. He said the health scare prompted him to quit smoking and make other lifestyle improvements. He also said he expected to be fully cleared medically in December and hoped to be back in the dugout next year.
It seems the Angels have other plans, however, and will be making a change. The club didn’t perform especially well under either manager. They were 36-38 when Washington began his leave but, as mentioned, they almost lost 100 games last year. They finished this season with a 72-90 record. Of course, a manager can only work with the roster they are given, so it’s up for debate whether the club’s lack of success has anything to do with Washington or Montgomery.
Blum adds that it’s unclear if general manager Perry Minasian will return. He is signed through 2026 with a club option for 2027. Minasian first got the gig in November of 2020. During his tenure, the club has flirted with competitive baseball but has always come up short. They won 77 games in 2021 but dropped to 73 wins in each of the next two seasons. As mentioned, they dropped to 63 last year. Getting to 72 wins in 2025 was technically an improvement over last year but it was only a return to the same unsatisfactory level of the preceding campaigns.
In time, more should be revealed about the club’s plan. They will at least need to conduct a managerial search. Whether that search is conducted by Minasian or someone else remains to be seen. If he is removed, then a front office search will likely be conducted before the managerial search. Washington and Montgomery, meanwhile, will presumably be looking for new coaching gigs elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images
Ron Washington Discusses Surgery Rehab, Future With Angels
The Angels have been without manager Ron Washington since late June after he went on medical leave away from the team, and he revealed to reporters last month that he was recovering from quadruple bypass surgery. Even in spite of that recovery from major surgery, however, the 73-year-old still hopes to manage the Angels in 2026. Washington reaffirmed that desire in a conversation with Sam Blum of The Athletic, who reports to today that Washington has not yet spoken to Halos owner Arte Moreno about his future but hopes to do so in the next few days.
“I just want to sit down and talk baseball with him,” Washington told Blum of Moreno. “I’ll let them decide if I’m the guy to lead the club.”
Washington added that he also hasn’t spoken to club GM Perry Minasian about his future with the club. The Halos hold a club option on Washington’s services for the 2026 season, while Blum notes Minasian himself has one year left on his contract with Anaheim. According to Blum, much of the club’s leadership is facing uncertainty headed into the final days of the regular season, as interim manager Ray Montgomery has also expressed uncertainty about his future in the organization but remains in the mix to manage the team in 2026.
There’s a number of factors at play that could be weighing on Moreno’s mind as he decides what direction to take the club moving forward. The most obvious, perhaps, is the team’s lengthy playoff drought and disappointing results in recent years. The Angels have 88 losses with two games left to go in the 2025 season, and that performance comes on the heels of last year’s 99-loss campaign and back-to-back 89-loss seasons in 2022 and ’23. For years, the Angels have hung their hopes on the idea that a healthy season for Mike Trout could help them get back to October, but Trout has played in 128 games this year and turned in results that are less than stellar by his lofty standards even as he remains an above average bat overall.
Perhaps Trout can build on this year and turn in a season more like his vintage, MVP-caliber performances of a decade ago in 2026. Failing that, however, the Angels will need to change at least somewhat if they’re going to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. It’s hardly unthinkable that Moreno could look see the uncertain contract situations of Washington, Montgomery, and Minasian over the next year as an opportunity to shake up the organization and bring in new voices. With that being said, there are some factors at play that create an argument for sticking with the status quo.
Notably, the team was doing better than this record would suggest when Washington was actually at the helm of the club. He took medical leave when the club had a 40-40 record and sat just one game back of an AL Wild Card spot. It’s difficult to argue that the team’s poor record this year lies at Washington’s feet when he was away from the organization for their 25-39 stumble after the All-Star break. What’s more, Blum suggests that Moreno may not be interested in bringing in new leaders for the organization on multi-year agreements with a likely lockout on the horizon following the 2026 season.
That could be due to financial reasons, as a lockout that bleeds into the season would result in cancelled games and lost revenue, but another factor could be the uncertainty surrounding the landscape of the game when the dust settles on the next round of collective bargaining. If a salary cap is put into place, as whispers around baseball have indicated MLB is hoping to accomplish, that would surely have significant repercussions about how teams all around the league conduct their business. Knowing what sort of financial system MLB will be operating under for the foreseeable future would surely be helpful when deciding who is best suited to lead the organization for what could wind up being the rest of the decade or longer.
Another factor, Blum writes, figures to be Washington’s health. Washington is already the oldest manager in the majors by a few years. 70-year-old Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy is the only other septuagenarian leading a dugout at the moment, though Brian Snitker of Atlanta will celebrate his 70th birthday in October and has not yet made a decision about his future beyond the 2025 campaign. Between Washington’s age and him coming off major heart surgery, there’s risk for both him and the club in bringing him back into the dugout next year and hanging him a stressful job with a difficult schedule and plenty of responsibility like that of a big league manager.
Despite those possible concerns, Blum notes that Washington has no interest in moving into a front office role at this point. He called himself a “hands-on guy” who prefers to work directly with the players in conversation with Blum, and noted that he was confident he would be working for one of the league’s organizations next year in that sort of role, whether that’s a managerial job or a different role. Outside of his stints managing the Rangers and Angels, Washington spent seven years as third base coach of the Braves and won a World Series with the organization in 2021.
MLBTR Podcast: Scott Servais, Perry Minasian, The Orioles’ Rotation, And Joey Votto
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Mariners fire Scott Servais, hire Dan Wilson as manager (1:30)
- Angels extend general manager Perry Minasian (10:50)
- Orioles optioned Trevor Rogers to the minors amid other rotation challenges (23:15)
- Reds legend Joey Votto announces retirement (33:15)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- In my opinion, Max Fried‘s 2024 has cost him $100MM+ due to injury and some weirdly shaky games/random innings. Do you agree and does this make him more/less likely to re-sign with the Braves? (41:40)
- Appears Justin Verlander will not hit the 140 innings pitched needed for his $35MM vesting option for 2025, making him a free agent at the end of the season. What kind of market can we expect for Verlander? What teams interested, salary, contract length. (50:20)
Check out our past episodes!
- Who Could Get Waived, Potential Rule Changes, Austin Riley, And Hector Neris – listen here
- The White Sox Fire Their Manager, Víctor Robles Extended, And The Marlins’ Front Office – listen here
- Fallout From The Trade Deadline And Mike Trout Injured Again – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Angels Sign Perry Minasian To Two-Year Extension
The Angels are opting for continuity atop the front office. The Halos announced on Thursday that they’ve signed general manager Perry Minasian to an extension that runs through the 2026 season. There’s reportedly a club option for ’27.
“Over the last four years, Perry and his baseball operations staff have begun to lay the foundation for a bright future of Angels baseball,” owner Arte Moreno said in a release. “We have been impressed by the steps Perry has taken to infuse our major league team with young and exciting talent while also revamping our player development process. We believe this extension will allow him to continue the vision of building sustainable success throughout the Angels organization and deliver a championship for our fans.”
Minasian is also quoted in the press release: “I am incredibly thankful to Arte and Carole Moreno for their continued trust and support,” he says. “I would also like to thank [Angels president] John Carpino for the tremendous working relationship we have developed over the last four years and I look forward to continuing our plans of bringing the Angels back to being a consistent championship contender.”
Minasian was named the general manager of the Angels in November of 2020, following the firing of Billy Eppler. He had previously worked as a scout for Toronto and assistant general manager for Atlanta and was able to secure a four-year pact in his new gig with the Halos. This is the final season of that deal but the club is satisfied enough with his performance to keep him around.
That might seem a little strange, as things haven’t been going especially well for the Angels. Despite having two superstars on the roster in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in recent years, the club hasn’t had a winning season since 2015, hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2009. They are 54-73 this year, ahead of only the White Sox in the American League standings.
It’s a matter of debate as to how much blame Minasian can take for that, as it doesn’t appear as though he’s been given a lot of rope to work with in building around those guys. Looking at MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the club hasn’t been a huge spender since he was brought aboard. The four-year, $58MM deal they gave to Raisel Iglesias has been the biggest deal of his tenure, both in terms of years and guarantee. They already had big contracts on the books for Trout, Anthony Rendon, Albert Pujols and others when he came aboard, and seemingly didn’t want to add much more to that. Moreno plainly stated that he was paring back payroll going into 2024.
The franchise has seemingly had a mandate against significant investments in starting pitching, something that seems to come from ownership since it predates Minasian’s tenure. Since a five-year, $77.5MM deal for C.J. Wilson late in 2011, things have been kept fairly modest. Joe Blanton got a two-year, $15MM deal at the end of 2012 and then it took a decade for the club to give out another multi-year deal for a starter. At the end of 2022, Tyler Anderson got a three-year, $39MM deal, still fairly modest in terms of rotation investments.
Minasian and his front office have seemingly tried to get around these limitations by drafting players they could fasttrack to the majors, which they have actually had a bit of success with. Zach Neto was the club’s first-round pick in 2022 and Nolan Schanuel in 2023. Both players were up in the majors by last year and having good results. Chase Silseth, taken in the 11th-round in 2021, was pitching in the majors by 2022. Ben Joyce, taken in the third round in 2022, was in the big leagues last year and could now be the club’s closer. Christian Moore, just taken 8th overall last month, is already thriving in Double-A.
That’s not to say that there’s nothing to criticize in Anaheim. Due to rushing all their prospects to the majors, the club’s farm system is generally considered one of the worst in the league. Baseball America recently put them dead last, FanGraphs and ESPN have them in the bottom as well, while MLB Pipeline has them 29th, ahead of only the Astros. The major league roster is obviously lacking, given their poor results lately. There’s actually an argument that they have one of the worst long-term outlooks of the 30 clubs in the league.
But there is some controllable talent on the roster alongside Trout, with guys like Neto, Schanuel, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Logan O’Hoppe and others all slated to stick around through 2026 or longer. They could have made some of those players available this summer and kicked off a notable rebuild but didn’t do it. It’s not known whether that was a front office decision or something that came from ownership. The light spending in recent years means that the future payroll is starting to clear up. Despite having two massive contracts on the books between Trout and Rendon, RosterResource has the club’s guarantees at $109MM next year and $89MM in 2026. By 2027, Rendon, Anderson and Robert Stephenson will all be off the books, leaving Trout as the club’s only significant investment.
Moreno has clearly placed some constraints on Minasian but is evidently pleased with the way he has worked within them, so he’ll keep him around for another couple of years to see how things progress.
Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was first to report the Angels and Minasian had agreed to a multi-year extension. Roger Lodge of Three Point Media first reported the ’27 option year.
Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
On paper, a longer contract equals a larger amount of job security. And yet every year, we seem to be adding a longer list of caveats to this annual post detailing which managers and front office bosses (a GM, president of baseball operations, chief baseball officer, or whatever the title may be) are entering the final guaranteed year of their contracts.
First off, this list is somewhat speculative — some teams don’t publicly announce the terms of employee contracts, nor are details always leaked to reporters. It is entirely possible some of the names listed have already quietly agreed to new deals, or were already contracted beyond 2024. Secondly, obviously a contract only carries so much weight if a team drastically underperforms, and if ownership feels a change is needed in the dugout or in the front office. Or, ownership might still desire a change even if the team is doing well on the field, i.e. the Marlins parting ways with Kim Ng after a wild card berth last season.
Craig Counsell‘s five-year, $40MM deal to become the Cubs’ new manager also provides an interesting wrinkle to the managerial market. With Counsell’s contract setting a new modern benchmark for managerial salaries, some of the more established skippers on this list will surely be looking to match or top Counsell’s deal. These managers might choose (as Counsell did) to finish the year without signing a new contract and then test the open market, since you never know when a mystery team like the Cubs might swoop in to top the field.
As always, thanks to Cot’s Baseball Contracts for reference information on some of these contract terms.
Angels: The Halos have had eight consecutive losing seasons, including the first three years of Perry Minasian’s stint as general manager. Minasian now faces the challenge of trying to break this losing streak without Shohei Ohtani on the roster, and even before Ohtani joined the Dodgers, Minasian was clear that the Angels weren’t going to be rebuilding. This tracks with the overall aggressive nature of owner Arte Moreno, yet this approach has also manifested itself in five non-interim GMs running the Angels since Moreno bought the team in 2003. As Minasian enters the last year of his contract, it will take at least a winning season to keep Moreno from making yet another front office change.
Athletics: There hasn’t been any word about an extension for general manger David Forst, even though Forst’s last deal purportedly expired after the 2023 season. It can therefore probably be assumed that Forst inked a new deal at some point, as it has appeared to be business as usual for the longtime Oakland executive this winter (or as “usual” as business can be given the Athletics’ bare-bones rebuild and the unusual nature of the team’s impending move to Las Vegas). Manager Mark Kotsay would’ve been entering the final guaranteed year of his original deal with the A’s, except the team exercised their club option on Kotsay through the 2025 season.
Braves: Alex Anthopoulos is entering the last season of his three-year extension as Atlanta’s president of baseball operations, and one would imagine that ownership will aim to lock Anthopoulos up to another deal as soon as possible. The Braves have won six straight NL East titles and the 2021 World Series championship during Anthopoulos’ six seasons with the organization, and look to be contenders for years to come thanks to the core of star players under long-term deals. Anthopoulos would seemingly be eager to stay in Atlanta for this same reason, though if he did choose to play out the year and test the market, he would undoubtedly command a lot of interest from teams looking for a new chief executive.
Cardinals: For just the third time in the last century, a Cardinals team lost 91 or more games. This unexpected interruption in the Cards’ run of success has naturally put a lot of heat on Oliver Marmol, who is entering the final season of his three-year contract. Unsurprisingly, the team had yet to have any extension talks with Marmol as of early December, and it remains to be seen if Marmol will get even one extra year of security. With such franchise stalwarts as Yadier Molina or Joe McEwing perhaps waiting in the wings as managers of the future, Marmol will surely need a quick start and at least a winning record in 2024 to retain his job.
Guardians: Chris Antonetti’s contract details haven’t been publicly known for more than a decade, yet there isn’t any sense that the longtime executive will be leaving Ohio any time soon. Antonetti has been part of Cleveland’s front office since 1999, and he has been running the baseball ops department (first as GM and then as president of baseball operations) since 2010. While the Guardians stumbled to a 76-86 record last year, Antonetti has a long track record of building contending teams on low payrolls, and he’ll now embark on a new era with Stephen Vogt replacing Terry Francona as the Guards’ manager.
Mariners: Another somewhat speculative situation, as while president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais signed extensions in September 2021, the exact length of those extensions wasn’t reported. It is probably fair to assume both men are signed beyond 2024, though Servais’ previous two deals were three-year contracts, and 2024 would be his final guaranteed year if the skipper’s latest contract was also a three-year pact.
Orioles: Baltimore is particularly mum about the details of any employee contracts, as GM Mike Elias’ contract terms have never been publicized since he took over the club in November 2018. Manager Brandon Hyde has already signed one extension that flew under the radar, and that deal has apparently stretched beyond the 2023 season, as there hasn’t been any suggestion that Hyde won’t return to the AL East champions. In either case, Elias and Hyde won’t seem to have any worries about job security given how the Orioles won 101 games last year, and might be budding powerhouses for the next decade given the amount of young talent on the roster and in the minor league pipeline.
Pirates: Ben Cherington is entering his fifth season as Pittsburgh’s general manager, and terms of his original deal weren’t reported. With the Bucs perhaps starting to turn the corner after their long rebuild, there wouldn’t appear to be any reason for ownership to move on from Cherington, if he hasn’t already been quietly signed to a new deal. The Pirates already extended manager Derek Shelton back in April, in another hint that ownership is satisfied with the team’s direction.
Rays: Kevin Cash‘s last extension was a lengthy six-year deal covering the 2019-24 seasons, with a club option for 2025. It seems like a lock that the Rays will at least exercise that club option and seek out another multi-year deal, and Cash has a good case to argue for a Counsell-esque contract. Widely considered one of baseball’s best managers, Cash is 739-617 over his nine seasons in Tampa Bay and has led the team to five consecutive postseason berths.
Red Sox: Alex Cora is entering the final year of his contract, and the Red Sox are coming off a pair of last-place finishes in the AL East. Despite these results, the blame seems to have been placed on now-fired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, as there hasn’t been much indication that ownership is dissatisfied with Cora’s performance as manager. Since Cora has hinted that he might like to run a front office himself in the future, it will be interesting to monitor if he might pursue those ambitions as soon as next offseason, or if he might sign a new extension with the Red Sox as manager, or if Cora could perhaps let the season play out and then accept bids from several suitors outside of Boston.
Rockies: In each of the last two Februarys, Bud Black has signed a one-year extension to tack an extra year onto his run as Colorado’s manager. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Black do the same this spring, as past reports have indicated that Black and the Rockies are working on an unofficial roll-over arrangement with the manager’s contract status. As loyal as owner Dick Monfort is known to be with his employees, however, one wonders if the Rockies’ 103-loss season in 2023 (or their five straight losing seasons) might lead to questions about Black’s future, even if the team’s roster construction or their boatload of pitching injuries last year can’t be blamed on Black. For what it’s worth, the terms of GM Bill Schmidt’s deal weren’t publicized when Schmidt was promoted to the full-time position after the 2021 season, though Schmidt isn’t thought to be in any danger of being replaced.
Twins: Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine are both apparently entering the final year of their contracts, though Minnesota has been known to be somewhat quiet about employee contracts (such as manager Rocco Baldelli‘s last extension). The duo known as “Falvine” have been on the job for seven seasons, with something of an all-or-nothing track record of either losing seasons or playoff berths, and the Twins were on the upswing again with an AL Central title in 2023. Assuming either exec hasn’t already signed an under-the-radar extension, the Twins would seemingly be eager to retain both Falvey and Levine, though either could explore options elsewhere for at least leverage purposes. For Levine in particular, he could be looking to lead his own front office, after being a finalist for Boston’s CBO job this fall and previously getting some consideration for front office vacancies with the Rockies and Phillies in recent years.
Yankees: Perhaps no skipper in baseball faces more public pressure than Aaron Boone, given how a lot of Bronx fans were calling for his ouster even before the Yankees missed the playoffs and won only 82 games in 2023. Boone is entering the last guaranteed year of his contract, and the Yankees have a club option on his services for 2025. For as much loyalty as owner Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman have shown to Boone, it is hard to imagine the manager would be retained if New York doesn’t at least make the postseason again, and another miss could also raise some new questions about Cashman’s status (though his deal runs through the 2026 season).
AL Notes: Red Sox, Showalter, Angels, Royals
Buck Showalter wants to keep managing, and is trying to get an interview with the Angels about their dugout vacancy, the New York Post’s Mike Puma reports (via X). It isn’t known if there is any mutual interest on the Halos’ side, though one would imagine the club would be open to at least having a chat with a veteran skipper with such a long and distinguished track record. Showalter’s managerial career has been marked by his ability to turn around struggling teams, which would seemingly have particular appeal to a Los Angeles club that has suffered through eight straight losing seasons. The position opened up earlier this week when the Angels officially parted ways with Phil Nevin — by coincidence, a former player of Showalter’s on the 2005-06 Rangers.
Showalter might have an extra edge if the Angels have trouble finding other top-tier candidates. “The job isn’t deemed attractive within the industry because GM Perry Minasian is entering the final year of his contract,” Puma writes, meaning that if a new general manager is hired next offseason, the incoming boss might want to make their own hire in the manager’s chair. However, there is also a significant connection between Showalter and Minasian, who worked for the Rangers from 2003-2009 as a scout and as Showalter’s staff assistant when skipper was managing in Texas.
More from around the American League….
- Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy discussed several topics during an appearance on the Fenway Rundown podcast with MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam, including the team’s reneweed emphasis on trying to sign younger, pre-arbitration players to contract extensions. Brayan Bello, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Triston Casas were specifically mentioned by Kennedy as the types of young players the Sox would like to lock up, though the CEO naturally didn’t provide details on whether or not the club had already broached the topic of extensions with any of the quartet. Chaim Bloom’s four-year tenure in charge of Boston’s front office didn’t see many extensions in general, with the notable exceptions of Rafael Devers‘ mega-deal and one of those aforementioned pre-arb pacts with Garrett Whitlock. Cotillo also reports that Bloom tried to sign an unnamed Sox top prospect to an extension before the player had even started his Major League career.
- The Royals plan to retain their coaching staff for 2024, general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters, though a couple of new faces could be added in new roles on an expanded staff. Though the Royals struggled through a miserable 106-loss season, they already underwent a significant coaching overhaul last winter after new manager Matt Quatraro was hired. K.C. apparently doesn’t want to make more changes just yet, though there could be some turnover if any coaches are approached for promotions on other teams.
Perry Minasian Discusses Ohtani, Payroll, Nevin
Angels GM Perry Minasian conducted the club’s end-of-season presser this afternoon, and in doing so discussed an array of topics with reporters following a brutally disappointing 2023 campaign that saw the club go 73-89 during Shohei Ohtani‘s last season under club control and miss the postseason for the ninth consecutive season.
Speaking of Ohtani, Minasian told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that he believes “this is a place that he enjoys playing and this is a place that he loves.” Though he acknowledged that Ohtani was disappointed that the club didn’t improve in 2023 (instead posting an identical record to the 2022 club), he adds that “you get the feeling that this is a place he really, really appreciates, respects. And we’ll just have to see what happens over the course of the offseason.”
Minasian’s comments regarding Ohtani, while reiterating the the team would love to retain the two-way phenom next season, give Angels fans little reason for optimism as Ohtani heads to the open market with a chance at a record-setting free agent deal, even as he rehabs from an elbow procedure that will keep him off of the mound until 2025. Further casting doubt on a potential return to Anaheim for Ohtani were comments from Minasian regarding the club’s payroll outlook, as the GM admitted (as relayed by Sam Blum of The Athletic), that he couldn’t say whether or not ownership would be willing to replicate the club’s 2023 payroll, which was the highest of Arte Moreno’s tenure as owner. Re-signing Ohtani would almost certainly require a massive financial outlay, to say nothing of the other additions necessary to build a contender around both him and fellow generational star Mike Trout.
While Minasian said that Moreno is “motivated to win”, he also admitted that he isn’t yet certain whether or not the club was able to duck under the luxury tax threshold by the end of the year. In service of that goal, the clubs lashed payroll in the final months of the season by putting half-a-dozen veteran players on expiring deals on waivers, including major deadline acquisition Lucas Giolito. If the Angels do wind up paying the luxury tax in 2023, it will be the first time they’ve done so under Moreno’s ownership.
Minasian also discussed the club’s decision to part ways with manager Phil Nevin and the uncertain futures of members of both the coaching staff and front office. Minasian noted (per Blum) that the club had not yet made any final personnel decisions beyond moving on from Nevin as manager, who was let go due to a “collaborative” decision between Moreno and Minasian himself. As Blum notes, it’s an interesting departure from the decision to fire manager Joe Maddon last summer, which was made by Minasian alone. It would appear the club hasn’t begun to determine who will replace Nevin as manager, as Fletcher notes that Minasian told reporters that the club does not yet have a list of potential managerial candidates, and that there’s no timeline for a decision at this point.
Angels Part Ways With Phil Nevin
The Angels are making a managerial change. As first reported by Sam Blum of the Athletic (on Twitter), the club has decided not to retain Phil Nevin, whose one-year contract expired at season’s end. General manager Perry Minasian is scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow, which appears to indicate he’ll retain his position.
Nevin spent a season and a half at the helm. The 52-year-old took over on an interim basis when the club dismissed Joe Maddon in June 2022. At the end of that season, the Halos signed him to a one-year extension and removed the interim tag. It essentially served as a trial run for Nevin, who’d only joined Maddon’s coaching staff heading into the ’22 campaign.
Unfortunately for Nevin and the organization, the 2023 season played out in largely the same disappointing fashion as it had in prior years. Los Angeles made a run at competing in their final season with Shohei Ohtani under arbitration control. They started reasonably well, playing slightly above .500 ball in each of the first four months. An 8-3 run coming out of the All-Star Break led the front office to push further in a win-now direction, dealing top prospect Edgar Quero as part of a package for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. That pushed the Halos past the luxury tax barrier for the first time in two decades.
Almost immediately after that deal, the Halos’ postseason expectations crumbled. They lost seven straight from deadline day onwards, burying them in the standings. By the end of August, the Angels had placed a host of veterans (Giolito and López included) on waivers in hopes of dipping back below the tax threshold. It remains unclear if that effort was successful. Los Angeles would go just 17-36 in the season’s final two months, concluding with a 73-89 record that exactly matched last year’s mark. They dropped to fourth place in the AL West.
On the heels of that kind of collapse, it’s not surprising to see the team make a managerial change — particularly with Nevin’s brief contract having already expired. At the same time, it’s hard to know how much of the blame falls on the manager. The Halos have rapidly churned through dugout leaders without success. Nevin was their fourth manager since 2018 alone.
Longtime skipper Mike Scioscia stepped down at the end of the ’18 campaign. Brad Ausmus was at the helm for 2019. The Angels fired him when Maddon became available, but he only made it through two and a half seasons. None of those skippers oversaw even one winning record. The Angels haven’t finished above .500 since 2015 and are tied with the Tigers for the longest active playoff drought at nine years.
That’s made worse by an uncertain, arguably bleak, future. The Angels face the potential loss of Ohtani this offseason. Even if they manage to re-sign him on what’d almost certainly be the largest contract in major league history, he’s unlikely to pitch for all of next season. Mike Trout played one game from July 4 onward due to a hamate fracture. Anthony Rendon’s backloaded contract pays him $38MM annually for three more years. The farm system is among the thinnest in MLB, as the Angels have aggressively pushed players to the majors and traded prospect talent in order to address short-term deficiencies on the roster.
The Halos aren’t devoid of positives, of course. Trout remains one of the game’s best hitters when healthy, even if his production took a step back from MVP level to merely excellent. Shortstop Zach Neto and catcher Logan O’Hoppe look like regulars. Nolan Schanuel had an impressive rookie showing considering he jumped to the majors within a month of being drafted out of Florida Atlantic, where he was generally facing mid-major college pitching. He’ll eventually need to demonstrate more power, but running a .402 on-base percentage through 29 major league contests within that context is remarkable. Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers remain promising controllable rotation pieces.
Overall, that’s still a below-average collection of organizational talent. The Angels face an uphill battle ascending beyond any of Houston, Texas or Seattle in the AL West — particularly if Ohtani were to land elsewhere. It’ll be a challenging position for whomever the Halos tab to lead the dugout. The Angels join the Mets and Giants as teams that have moved on from their manager in recent days. The Guardians will need to replace Terry Francona — who has all but officially announced his retirement — leaving four current vacancies around the league.
As for Nevin, he should be able to find a position on another major league staff this winter. While his initial foray into major league managing wasn’t successful, the former infielder has a decade and a half of coaching experience. He previously managed in the Tigers’ and Diamondbacks’ systems and has been on a big league staff since 2017. Nevin spent a year as the third base coach for the Giants, held the same position with the Yankees for five seasons, and was the Halos’ third base coach before replacing Maddon.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.