ANAHEIM -- The Angels will have a new manager in 2026.
Manager Ron Washington, who was placed on medical leave on June 20 and underwent a quadruple bypass heart surgery on June 30, will not have his option picked up, the team announced on Tuesday. Interim manager Ray Montgomery also won’t return in that role and is deciding whether to remain in the organization in a different role, general manager Perry Minasian said on Saturday.
Minasian met with reporters at Angel Stadium on Saturday to discuss the decision to move on from Washington and the state of the organization after they went 72-90 to mark their 10th straight losing season. Minasian also confirmed he’ll be back as GM, as he has one more year remaining on his extension he signed in 2024.
“It was obviously a really tough decision,” Minasian said. “I love Ron Washington. I've been with him in three different places. I think he's a heck of a baseball man. At the end of the day in this job, you have to make tough decisions, and we had discussions all day Monday with ownership, just talking through the season. And we felt like there needed to be a different voice.”
Washington, 73, was hired by the Angels prior to the 2024 season and the Angels went 63-99 in his first year at the helm. They improved on that mark this season under Washington, going 36-38 before he was placed on leave.
Montgomery, who had served as bench coach since 2022, took over as interim manager and went 36-52. The Angels suffered a slew of injuries late in the season and went 13-28 over their final 41 games.
The Angels have a pair of internal candidates who have no Major League or Minor League managing experience, but they have expressed a desire to manage in the big leagues. Former Angels Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols are both special assistants to general manager Perry Minasian.
Pujols will get an interview and the early reports indicated he’s the leader for the position, but Minasian said it’s too early in the process to have a frontrunner. But he’d like to make the decision as soon as possible and as early as next week so that the coaching staff can be rounded out, as all the current coaches are in limbo and are free to pursue other opportunities.
“This is a huge hire,” Minasian said. “We need to nail it, can't miss it. There's so many different qualities you look for, right? You obviously want somebody that understands people, understands the game, has a presence, there's respect. I can name 5,000 qualities that you'd like to have but at the end of the day for this particular group we've got to nail this one.”
Hunter said in late August that he’d manage if the right opportunity came up and joined the Angels on a few of their final road trips and their last homestand while spending time in full uniform in the dugout.
Pujols, who rejoined the organization in 2023 when his 10-year personal services contract began, said in Spring Training that he believes he’s ready to manage in the Majors. He managed in the Dominican Winter League last year and will be the Dominican Republic’s manager in next year’s World Baseball Classic.
Former catcher Kurt Suzuki is also part of the organization as a special advisor and is reportedly interviewing for the Giants’ managerial opening but it’s unclear if he’ll be considered by the Angels.
Another potential candidate with a tie to the organization is former longtime Padres and Rockies manager Bud Black. Black was the Angels' pitching coach from 2000-06 before going on to manage in San Diego from 2007-15 and Colorado from 2017 until being fired this past May.
Buck Showalter is another veteran who could be considered as a finalist for the managerial opening that ultimately went to Washington before the ’24 season.
Minasian wouldn’t say how important experience is for the role but that they’ll keep their options open and find the best candidate.
“I'm worried about going forward, making the team better, obviously, hiring the right manager,” Minasian said. “There was some progress from last year to this year in the win column. Obviously not enough to go where we want to go. So we need to improve the team. And there's a multitude of ways to do that.”