Sources: Angels to hire Kurt Suzuki as manager

The Los Angeles Angels are hiring Kurt Suzuki arsenic manager, sources told ESPN connected Tuesday, turning to the longtime large league catcher with nary nonrecreational coaching acquisition to assistance crook astir a franchise navigating the longest playoff drought successful the large leagues.

The 42-year-old Suzuki, who spent 16 years playing for 5 franchises and won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals, had spent the past 3 years arsenic a peculiar adjunct to Angels wide manager Perry Minasian.

Former Angels stars Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter were besides successful information for the occupation to regenerate Ron Washington, who missed astir fractional the 2025 play aft undergoing quadruple bypass surgery.

Ray Montgomery, the interim manager during Washington's absence, was offered a antithetic relation with the enactment but was not considered for the full-time manager role.

Suzuki inherits a squad with plentifulness of violative thump and questionable pitching. Shortstop Zach Neto is 1 of the game's astir well-rounded players, and outfielders Jo Adell and Taylor Ward combined to deed 73 location runs successful 2025. Mike Trout is signed done 2030, and catcher Logan O'Hoppe, archetypal baseman Nolan Schanuel and 2nd baseman Christian Moore circular retired their young core.

Beyond Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano, the Angels' rotation is successful flux, and their bullpen is filled with question marks that hamper their prospects successful a part that includes the Seattle Mariners, who fell 1 crippled shy of representing the American League successful the World Series.

Suzuki spent his past 2 seasons, 2021 and 2022, arsenic a backup catcher with the Angels and drew rave reviews for his handling of the pitching staff. He present becomes the organization's 5th manager since Mike Scioscia ended a 19-year tally successful 2018, pursuing Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Washington.

Under Scioscia, the Angels won the franchise's archetypal World Series title successful 2002 and claimed 5 AL West titles successful a six-year play from 2004 to 2009. That 2009 play marked the past clip the enactment has won a playoff game. The Angels person made it backmost to the postseason lone once, successful 2014, getting swept retired of the AL Division Series by the Kansas City Royals. The 2025 season, which finished with a 72-90 record, marked their 10th consecutive losing seasons.

Fans person agelong been displeased by the ownership tenure of Arte Moreno, who has been chided for getting excessively progressive successful shot operations, not investing capable successful subordinate improvement and a agelong drawstring of short-sided decisions, astir notably not trading Shohei Ohtani earlier helium became a escaped cause and past deciding not to lucifer his declaration connection from the rival Read Entire Article