With the annual General Managers Meetings taking place in Las Vegas this week, Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak said the franchise's new ownership group is starting the process of reaching out to potential candidates regarding their GM position.
Mozeliak, speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the Aria Resort and Casino, said it’s a long list of candidates because Kroenke Sports & Entertainment isn’t as familiar with baseball operations and wants to gather as much information as possible prior to its search. But the Angels aren’t expected to hire a GM or president of baseball operations until the sale becomes official. MLB owners aren’t scheduled to vote on it yet. It was initially intended to become official in early 2027.
“I put together a list of who I thought were those qualifying candidates; they have their own list as well,” Mozeliak said. “We consolidated those, but it's a wide list because they're not in the baseball industry. So, trying to understand how teams operate or think is something they're trying to collect as well. Then, ultimately, when it gets down to a smaller number, that's probably where they'll have me get more involved.”
Mozeliak, who will step away from the Angels once his contract expires in December, said he’s been in contact with Kevin Demoff, the president of team and media operations for KSE. Demoff is in his 18th year as team president for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and oversees operations for all of the clubs it owns, including the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the Colorado Rapids of MLS and the EPL’s Arsenal.
Mozeliak said he’s content with his current role in helping the Angels in their day-to-day baseball operations, and that he’s trying to steady the ship as the franchise transitions to new ownership. He said his main goal at the GM Meetings is to gather as much intel as he can on the free-agent market and trade candidates to assist with the next GM.
“I’m like an innkeeper,” Mozeliak said. “Keep the lights on. Just make sure everything's like moving forward. But really, it's also trying to explore, get an understanding of what potential trades may look like, and because once new leadership is in place, they want to be in a position where they can act as quickly as they can.”
But as far as making free-agent signings or trades in the short-term, Mozeliak said it’s possible, though it would require clearance from KSE. So, it doesn’t seem like the Angels plan to make any big moves until everything is official with their new ownership.
“I would imagine it would be a couple phone calls,” Mozeliak said of making roster moves. “It's not like normal, right? But as long as you understand the playing rules, it's not too hard.”
Mozeliak also said it’s too early to know exactly what KSE wants in a GM, but did note that historically KSE has tended to hire younger GMs and managers with great success. Stan Kroenke is also known to take more of a hands-off approach as an owner once he has the right leadership in place.
Rams GM Les Snead was 41 when appointed in 2012 and head coach Sean McVay was just 30 when brought on in ’17; Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was 37 when hired in ’19; Nuggets GM Tim Connolly was hired at 37 in ’13; and Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was 44 when hired in ’16. All of them have won a championship in their respective sport.
“If you look at [KSE's] history of hiring, that’s typically their model,” Mozeliak said. “They're probably looking for someone that has a long-term presence.”