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Angels Interested In Tim Anderson

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The Angels have a “strong interest in” Tim Anderson, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, with Los Angeles eyeing Anderson as a possible second base candidate.  Though Anderson has been a shortstop for virtually his entire eight-year career in the majors, he acknowledged last month that he would be open to becoming a second baseman.

“Really, at this point, it doesn’t matter.  I’m a shortstop/second baseman,” Anderson said in an interview with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin.  “It’s whatever to allow my career to keep going.  I’m not going to wrestle with a team that I’m this or I’m that.  It’s just an honor and a blessing to fit in any lineup as a starter considering how hard this game is.  Short would be my first choice, but I also understand how older guys are viewed, now that I’m stepping into that phase, which sucks and is different.  I just want to continue to keep building on what I started and get back to what I used to be.”

Anderson just turned 30 last June, but is at a career crossroads in the wake of a disastrous final season with the White Sox.  Anderson hit .318/.347/.474 over 1641 plate appearances with Chicago from 2019-22, a four-year run that included two All-Star appearances, a Silver Slugger Award, and a batting title.  It certainly looked like Anderson was a solid bet to keep up that level of production heading into 2023, but a knee sprain (and a three-week injured list stint) early in the season seemed to throw Anderson off for the rest of the year.  Anderson hit only .245/.286/.296 over 524 PA, and he had the lowest wRC+ (60) of any qualified hitter in baseball.

This led the White Sox to decline their $14MM club option on Anderson’s services for 2024, instead buying him out for $1MM and sending the veteran infielder into the free agent market for the first time in his career.  Though the Sox didn’t have any luck in trying to trade Anderson before the deadline to decide on his contract option, it makes sense why the Angels or other clubs would be interested in him as a free agent at a lower price tag.  A return to good health and a change of scenery might well get Anderson back to the All-Star form he showed as recently as 2022, making him an intriguing bounce-back candidate.

It seems like a lock that Anderson and his reps at Excel will pursue a one-year contract this winter, in the hopes that Anderson can play well and then be lined up for a more lucrative longer-term deal next offseason.  This might fit well with the Angels’ plans, as GM Perry Minasian added mostly shorter-term deals last winter in an attempt to bolster the club’s depth around superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

The tactic didn’t work, as the Angels stumbled to their eighth straight losing record and their ninth straight year without a postseason appearance.  With Ohtani’s possible departure in free agency now looming, it remains to be seen how the Angels might approach the loss of their two-way star, yet signing Anderson to a one-year deal makes sense whether the Halos are looking to contend in 2024 or if they might take a step back to re-evaluate, if not necessarily rebuild.  Either way, the Angels would be hoping Anderson rebounds, as he could at least become a trade chip at the deadline if Los Angeles fell short again.

Zach Neto figures to be the top candidate for everyday shortstop work, though having Anderson on hand provides L.A. with some depth if Neto struggles in his sophomore season.  From a fielding perspective, Neto looks to be the better option given how Anderson’s glovework has been so subpar over the last two seasons, so it would seem like second base might be the Angels’ preferred position for the veteran.

However, even that isn’t a clean fit, as Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo would seemingly have the keystone covered.  This doesn’t exactly preclude an Anderson signing, as Rengifo could play third base if Anthony Rendon encounters more injury issues, and Drury could also play first base in a timeshare with Nolan Schanuel.  If Ohtani leaves, the DH spot would now be open for the Angels to find more at-bats for various players on the roster.

Angels Hire Ryan Goins, Eric Young Sr. To Coaching Staff

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TODAY: The Angels have indeed hired Young, as he confirmed to Alison Mastrangelo of WSB TV (X link).  “It was a hard decision, and I am definitely going to miss the [Braves] organization and more importantly the players and fans,” Young said.

NOVEMBER 11: Just a few days after joining the Angels as the club’s new manager, Ron Washington has begun assembling his coaching staff for the 2024 season, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that recently-retired infielder Ryan Goins will join the Angels’ coaching staff as an infield coach. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale had previously linked Goins to the role.

Goins, 35, was a fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft and spent five seasons in Toronto at the major league level from 2013-17. He then spent one season with the Royals before joining the White Sox in 2019. Goins played on the south side of Chicago for two seasons and played what would ultimately be his final game at the big league level during the 2020 season. He continued his career in the minor leagues for the Braves in 2021 and 2022, overlapping with Washington’s time in Atlanta as third base coach. While he signed with the Royals on a minor league deal for the 2023 season, he did not appear in any games before ultimately retiring earlier this offseason.

In 555 career games at the big league level, Goins slashed .228/.278/.333 in addition to a scoreless inning of work on the mound back in 2016. He appeared at every position except for catcher and center field throughout his eight seasons in the majors. With his playing career in the rearview mirror, Goins is now poised to tackle the first coaching job of his career under Washington in Anaheim. In doing so, he’ll been the youth and perspective of a recent player to the staff of Washington, a 71-year-old veteran skipper who last played in the majors in 1989.

Though Goins appears to be the only official hire for Washington’s coaching staff at this point, plenty of names have already been mentioned in connection with various roles. In addition to linking Goins to his role as infield coach, Nightengale suggested that former A’s, Cubs, Red Sox, and Mets hitting coach Chili Davis could join Washington’s staff in that same role, former Rockies and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle could join as bench coach, 19-year MLB veteran Torii Hunter could be tapped as first base coach, and Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr. could join the club’s staff as third base coach.

It’s not yet clear if any of those additional names have been or will be formally hired by the Angels, though Jon Heyman of the New York Post confirmed that both Davis and Hurdle are “in the mix” to join Washington’s staff while cautioning that nothing is official yet. On the other hand, Heyman suggests that Young is “planning” to join Washington’s staff alongside Goins. Though Hunter’s candidacy for a coaching role hasn’t been corroborated elsewhere, it’s certainly reasonable to think he could be in the mix for a role given his status as a candidate for the club’s manager seat prior to the hiring of Washington.

Shohei Ohtani Rumors: GM Meetings Edition

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The offseason kicked into gear this week with the General Manager Meetings taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona. Though the meetings were eventually ended early due to a virus circling the bases of the baseball world, there was still plenty of reporting about how markets are shaping up for various clubs and players. The big star of the winter is set to be Shohei Ohtani but only dribs and drabs of information have come out relating to him so far, with Jon Heyman of The New York Post and Bob Nightengale of USA Today rounding up some of the details.

Ohtani is the top free agent available, head and shoulders above the rest. The two-way superstar has been the best player in baseball of late, putting together a three-year run of excellence that is perhaps the greatest the sport has ever seen. He’s hit 124 home runs, stolen 57 bases and slashed .277/.379/.585 in that time for a wRC+ of 157. He’s also tossed 428 1/3 innings with a 2.84 earned run average. Elbow surgery will keep him from pitching in 2024 but he will still hit, and will presumably do all he can to return to the mound in 2025 and beyond.

There has never been a player like this or a free agent like this, which puts him center stage. It has been assumed by many that he is most likely to land with a traditional big spending club such as the Dodgers, but he’s such a massive superstar that it’s possible many dark horse teams get into the mix. Marketing opportunities, both in North America and around the world, should offset some of the money it takes to land him. Those factors, along with his unprecedented talents, could open the door to unlikely suitors. “No one knows where he’s going to end up,’’ Astros general manager Dana Brown said to Nightengale. “And I think that’s exciting for the game. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I think there may be a wild card team out there that’s going to surface. These teams can just come out of nowhere.” Indeed, any club that is not interested in Ohtani would be more noteworthy than a club that is.

But little information was to be had at the meetings, as neither Ohtani nor his agent Nez Balelo were present. Many baseball decision makers hemmed and hawed when directly asked about their interest in Ohtani, many commenting on his immense talent while adding that any club would be happy to have him. Perhaps the most absurd instance of ducking the question came from Mariners’ president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, when speaking with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. When asked about how he would value such a unique player, he said merely “I don’t know.” When asked if he would need to figure out an answer, “Presumably so” was the response.

With various smokescreens coming from different directions, there is little left to do but try to read the tea leaves. Heyman says the Dodgers are considered the favorite because of their payroll space, track record of on-field success and Ohtani’s reported fondness for Southern California. But he also adds that the Angels want a reunion and the Padres are interested as well. The latter club is reportedly trying to figure out whether to trade or extend Juan Soto, with Heyman adding that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has little interest in a trade. However, if they can successfully sign Ohtani, that could change.

He adds that the Yankees and Mets will check in but believe Ohtani is reluctant to live in New York. Heyman admits that he’s basing that on Ohtani’s initial arrival in North America six years ago, when he was reportedly choosing between the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Rangers, Giants, Mariners and Cubs, mostly West Coast teams and none in New York. At that time, he was subject to the amateur bonus pool system and wasn’t going to get more than a few million bucks regardless of where he signed, so having a geographical preference didn’t hurt him financially. Now it would be in his best interest to at least pretend he’s open to signing anywhere, in order to have more suitors and boost his bidding. Whether he privately has a strong geographic preference right now is unknown.

The Cubs were the primary exception to the Western preference last time around and it seems they are hoping that Ohtani still thinks of them fondly. Nightengale lists them as a serious contender for Ohtani and adds that “several GMs” are saying that the Cubs “may be” the most aggressive team on Ohtani. He also adds that the Rangers are considered a serious contender, which isn’t surprising after their World Series win that was fuelled by several notable free agent signings in recent years.

As mentioned, the Angels would like a reunion and shouldn’t be counted out. “I think this is a very desirable place to play,’’ Minasian said to Nightengale. “It’s in a great part of the country. We have an outstanding fan base. The players that have played here since I’ve been here, have been really, really positive with their experiences. So, with anybody on the market, I think we have a chance.”

Though the Angels haven’t had much success on the field lately, they have done plenty of big deals under owner Arte Moreno. That includes a $360MM extension for Mike Trout, while Albert Pujols and Anthony Rendon got $254MM and $245MM in free agency, respectively. Re-signing Ohtani will likely require them to go beyond that stratosphere and into the mesosphere, but there’s at least some precedent there. “I wouldn’t put anything past,’’ Minasian said. “I think it’s something that for the right opportunities, ownership is all about winning. …We’ll do what we can to make the team as good as we can.’’

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote this week about the interest of the Giants, talking to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. “We’ve got a good amount of payroll flexibility,” Zaidi said, “so anybody that we think can be an impact player for us, even on a long-term deal, we’re going to be looking at.” Daniel Kramer of MLB.com covered Ohtani from the Mariners’ perspective, highlighting that Dipoto was much more vocal in his interest back when Ohtani was first coming over in 2017. There are likely a dozen other clubs working on their overtures to Ohtani at this very moment.

How it will all play out and on what timeline remains to be seen. Ohtani will likely want to talk teams about things beyond just money, such as how long they are willing to let him try pitching, what they would do if/when he can no longer take the mound, etc. Those conversations may take a few weeks and it’s been speculated that he may be signed by the Winter Meetings in the first week of December, but there are still plenty of unknowns about perhaps the most fascinating free agent of all-time.

D-Backs, Reds, Angels Interested In Jeimer Candelario

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The Angels, Diamondbacks and Reds are among the teams that have expressed early interest in Jeimer Candelario, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Giants are also in the third base mix, per Heyman, although it’s not clear if they’re targeting Candelario specifically.

Arizona is the most straightforward of the three teams. Evan Longoria hit free agency, leaving the Snakes with a third base group headlined by Emmanuel Rivera, Jace Peterson and rookie Jordan Lawlar. The latter is one of the sport’s most talented prospects but has only 30 games above the Double-A level. Neither Rivera nor Peterson bring much to the table offensively, with both having particularly poor second halves.

Candelario would be a clear offensive boost. The switch-hitter combined for a .251/.336/.471 line with 22 home runs in 576 plate appearances between the Nationals and Cubs this year. While a dismal year in 2022 led to a non-tender from the Tigers, Candelario has been an above-average hitter in three of the last four seasons. Going back to 2020, he sports a .254/.329/.437 mark. If Lawlar steps into an everyday role at third base or shortstop (pushing Geraldo Perdomo to the hot corner), Candelario could see action at designated hitter.

That production would also be welcome for the Angels, although their internal options have lengthier track records than do Arizona’s players. The Halos owe Anthony Rendon $114MM over the next three seasons. That could lead the organization to shy away from a notable free agent investment for another third baseman (although Candelario obviously won’t come close to Rendon’s $245MM contract). The Halos have Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo to split time between second and third base, perhaps taking extra at-bats if Rendon again misses time to injury.

Candelario also has experience at first base, where things are a little unsettled for the Halos. Nolan Schanuel held the job for the final couple months of the season. That he managed a .402 on-base percentage against MLB pitching within weeks of being drafted out of Florida Atlantic is remarkable. Yet Schanuel has all of 22 career minor league games and didn’t provide any kind of power in his first big league look. It’s not out of the question he could require additional time against minor league pitching. The Halos’ outlook at DH, of course, is dependent on the Shohei Ohtani decision.

A match with the Reds would likely be conditional on Cincinnati making a trade. The Reds already have an infield glut. Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte are all in the corner infield mix. Jonathan India and Matt McLain project as the starting middle infield. Cincinnati general manager Nick Krall cited a lack of playing time at first base as a factor in declining their option on Joey Votto, although the $13MM difference between the option value and the buyout was surely the biggest factor.

Starting pitching is the top priority for the Cincinnati front office. That could be accomplished by dealing away a position player. Speaking in generalities, Krall told Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic that the Reds have had conversations about dealing from their talented collection of bats.

Angels Hire Ron Washington As Manager

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The Angels have hired Braves third base coach Ron Washington to fill their managerial vacancy, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He has signed a two-year contract with the club, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Angels have now announced the hiring of Washington.

The Angels parted ways with manager Phil Nevin as the 2023 regular season was winding down and recent reporting suggested they were leaning towards an experienced manager to take the gig. Washington, 72 in April, surely fits the bill there. After his playing career ended, he quickly transitioned into a coaching role in the early ’90s, working for the Mets and Athletics.

He got his first managerial gig with the Rangers going into 2007. After a few middling seasons, the club broke out in 2010 and 2011. They won 90 and 96 games in those two seasons, respectively, going to the World Series both times. Though they didn’t win the title in either of those trips, those remained the only two World Series appearances in franchise history until the club finally won it all here in 2023.

The Rangers won 93 games in 2012 but lost the Wild Card game to the Orioles. Another 91 wins followed in 2013 but that left them just a single game out of the playoffs. Things took a sour turn in 2014, with the club falling in the standings. They would eventually finish 67-95 and in last place in the American League West, but Washington was already gone by then. He resigned in early September, citing an off-the-field matter, which he later admitted was an extramarital affair.

He has been in various coaching roles since that time, having joined the Athletics in May of 2015 and then Atlanta going into 2017. He has received interest from clubs with managerial vacancies over those years but this will now be his first gig as a bench boss since that eight-year stretch with the Rangers. His hiring appears to be part of a trend among some clubs who have opted for experienced managers of late. The Astros hired Dusty Baker going into 2020 when he was 70. The Rangers hired 67-year-old Bruce Bochy a year ago, just one season after the Mets hired 65-year-old Buck Showalter.

The latter was considered a candidate for this job with the Halos but it appears he lost out to Washington. The club seemed to cast a wide net, reportedly considering options like Benji Gil, Darin Erstad, Torii Hunter, Tim Salmon, Ron Roenicke, Gary DiSarcina, Ray Montgomery and perhaps others.

Washington will now take over a team that hasn’t had much success and it’s hard to tell what their path forward is at the moment. Despite having superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on the club for the past six years, the Halos haven’t found any real on-field success in that time. Their last winning season was 2015, last playoff appearance was 2014 and last postseason victory was 2009. Now Ohtani is a free agent while Trout is 32 years old and has dealt with significant injury issues in recent years.

That makes it hard to gauge where they will go over the two years of this deal. Re-signing Ohtani is still on the table but it’s also possible he winds up somewhere else. Some have suggested the club should consider a rebuild in that scenario but it’s unclear if the club’s decision makers would agree with that assessment.

There should be more clarity in the months to come, but the Angels now have a skipper and can move on to figuring out those other unknowns. This hiring leaves three open manager positions around the league, with the Astros, Padres and Brewers still looking for a new bench boss for 2024. Meanwhile, Atlanta will have to find a new third base coach.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Angels To Interview Ron Washington

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The Angels are interviewing Braves third base coach Ron Washington tonight as they continue their managerial search, reports Sam Blum of the Athletic (X link). Jon Heyman of the New York Post indicated yesterday that Washington was on the Halos’ radar.

Washington continues to search for his first lead job since he resigned from the Rangers late in the 2014 season. The former infielder had led the dugout in Arlington for parts of eight years, rattling off four straight 90-win campaigns along the way. Washington’s Rangers won consecutive American League pennants in 2010-11 before falling short in the World Series.

The 71-year-old has spent the last seven years in Atlanta, where he has drawn particular praise for his work with the club’s infield. The early portion of Washington’s time on Brian Snitker’s staff overlapped with Perry Minasian’s time as an assistant general manager in Atlanta. Minasian is going into his fourth offseason at the helm of the Angels front office, with his next hire representing the third managerial hire of that time.

Heyman suggested yesterday that owner Arte Moreno was prioritizing previous managerial experience in this hiring search. Minasian told reporters this afternoon that the Halos were seeking a skipper who can “command a room” but left open the possibility of a first-time hire (link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register).

White Sox To Hire Marcus Thames As Hitting Coach

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The White Sox are set to hire Marcus Thames away from the Angels and install him as their new hitting coach, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Thames held the same title with the Halos in 2023 — his first season with the organization. FutureSox.com’s James Fox first indicated earlier this morning that Thames was under consideration to be named the Sox’ new hitting coach. Thames becomes the second Angels staffer to jump to the White Sox this offseason; Chicago previously hired Matt Wise as their new bullpen coach.

Thames, 46, enjoyed a decade-long playing career from 2002-11, appearing in 640 big league games and popping 115 home runs while batting .246/.309/.485 between the Yankees, Rangers, Tigers and Dodgers. Upon calling it quits as a player, he began his coaching career as a minor league hitting coach with the Yankees, eventually ascending to their Major League staff as assistant hitting coach in 2016.

Since taking that initial big league job in the Bronx, Thames has been a fixture on Major League coaching staffs. The Yankees promoted him to their lead hitting coach for the 2017 season — a position he’d hold through 2021, when his contract wasn’t renewed. He’s since had one-year stints as the hitting coach with the Marlins and Angels.

Of course, a hitting coach cannot singlehandedly take credit for radically turning the tides of a lineup (for better or for worse), but it’s nevertheless notable that the Angels went from a lowly .233/.297/.390 batting line with 623 runs scored, a 25.7% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate in 2022 to far better results in 2023. Halos hitters produced at a collective .245/.317/.426 rate in 2023, scoring 739 runs and making modest strides both in terms of team strikeout rate (24.8%) and walk rate (8.4%).

That’s attributable to myriad factors, but the Sox surely feel that Thames’ work is among them. More broadly, his growing coaching experience in what’s now an eight-year MLB coaching career has added to his reputation and clearly drawn fairly broad-reaching interest. Detractors might point to short stints in both Miami and Anaheim, but both organizations ousted their manager after Thames’ first season on the job. Because managers typically are provided the opportunity to fill out their own coaching staffs, seeing Thames bounce around a bit isn’t necessarily all that surprising. The Angels are still in the process of looking for a replacement for outgoing manager Phil Nevin, whose contract expired at season’s end and who will not return for a third year on the job.

As for the Sox, while they’re sticking with skipper Pedro Grifol despite a highly disappointing 2023 campaign, the coaching staff is already undergoing ample turnover. In addition to Thames and Wise, the South Siders have hired Grady Sizemore as a baserunning/outfield coach. The Sox also reassigned a pair of coaches (assistant pitching coach Curt Hasler and assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson) in addition to moving on entirely from hitting coach Jose Castro (whom Thames will now replace) and first base coach Daryl Boston. Further changes are surely on the horizon, and Murray further reports that retired big league catcher Drew Butera, who served as the Angels’ catching coach last year, could be added to the Chicago staff in some capacity as well.

The changes in the dugout come on the heels of front office shakeup in Chicago. Longtime general manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams were fired over the summer, though the Sox stayed in-house by naming assistant GM Chris Getz their successor and new baseball operations leader. The rookie GM has since hired former big league infielder Paul Janish as the Sox’ director of player development. As is the case in the dugout, additional changes in the front office and baseball operations hierarchy can be expected as the ChiSox look to move past a disastrous 2023 campaign and return to relevance in the American League Central.

Seven Players Receive Qualifying Offers

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Seven players in this year’s free agent class have been tagged with the qualifying offer, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). Those players are:

Previous reports had already indicated that Teoscar Hernández, Mitch Garver, J.D. Martinez and Rhys Hoskins had not received the QO. The same is true of Jorge Soler and longer-shot candidates like Kenta Maeda and Kevin Kiermaier.

The QO is valued at $20.325MM this offseason. Players have until next Tuesday to decide whether to accept. The seven players who were tagged all seemed virtual locks to both receive and decline it. It’s hard to envision anyone in this group taking a one-year pact.

Indeed, the more surprising aspect of this year’s class were the number of players who were not qualified. Last winter, 14 players were tagged with the QO. Borderline cases Joc Pederson and Martín Pérez wound up accepting. Teams were far more risk-averse this winter, shying away from the potential lofty commitment for all but the market’s top options.

[Related: Which Picks Would Each Team Forfeit By Signing A Qualified Free Agent?]

With QO decisions now made, every free agent is allowed to begin negotiations with other teams. The five-day window of exclusive negotiation with their incumbent club is over. If these players sign elsewhere, their teams would be entitled to compensation.

The Twins, as a revenue sharing recipient, stand to receive the greatest compensation. Assuming Gray beats a $50MM guarantee (a good bet), Minnesota’s compensatory pick would fall after the first round in next year’s draft. The Cubs, as a team that neither receives sharing nor paid the luxury tax, would land a choice that falls between Competitive Balance Round B and the start of the third round for Bellinger’s departure.

San Diego, Toronto and Philadelphia all surpassed the CBT threshold this year. They’d therefore receive the lowest compensation — a draft choice between Rounds 4 and 5. The Angels finished the season right on the border of the $233MM threshold and don’t yet know whether they paid the tax. As a result, they’re still awaiting word on whether they’d land the pick before the third round or after the fourth if Ohtani heads elsewhere.

Latest On Angels’ Managerial Search

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Three teams landed new managers on Monday, but there’s still plenty more to be done on that front around baseball. The Angels continue to search for a new dugout leader after declining an option on Phil Nevin at the start of the offseason.

It seems that search could be nearing its conclusion. Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted this morning the Halos could finalize a new hire by the end of the week. Jon Heyman of the New York Post listed a handful of candidates for the position (on X): Buck Showalter, Ron Washington, Gary DiSarcina, Benji Gil and Ray Montgomery. That isn’t necessarily an exhaustive list, as Heyman leaves open the possibility for another candidate to emerge.

Whether all five of those people have already interviewed with Halos brass is unclear. Showalter has been perhaps the most frequently mentioned candidate for the job. Gil and Montgomery make for natural candidates since they’re already on staff — the former as infield coach, the latter as bench coach.

DiSarcina also has myriad ties to the organization. He played for the Halos for the entirety of his 12-year playing career, earning an All-Star selection in 1995. He spent time in the front office at the beginning of the 2010s and logged three seasons on Mike Scioscia’s coaching staff. DiSarcina spent the last two seasons on Dave Martinez’s staff in Washington as third base coach. The Nationals announced last month that he would not return.

Ron Washington has spent seven seasons with the Braves as third base coach. The former Ranger skipper has come up in various managerial searches in recent years but hasn’t gotten a job since resigning from Texas at the end of the 2014 season. Washington led Texas to consecutive pennants in 2010-11 amidst a nearly eight-year run in Arlington.

Recent reports have named former Angels players Darin Erstad and Torii Hunter as potential options. Heyman confirms the Angels have spoken with Hunter but casts doubt on the fit, noting that owner Arte Moreno appears to prefer someone with prior MLB managerial experience. That could give the upper hand to Showalter or Washington, although it’s tough to pinpoint a specific favorite.

Buck Showalter One Of "Several Finalists" To Be Angels' Manager

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Beyond Showalter, such names as infield coodinator Benji Gil, former Brewers/Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke, and former Angels players like Torii Hunter, Darin Erstad, and Tim Salmon have all been mentioned as possible candidates for the manager’s job, though it isn’t clear how many proper interviews has taken place.  USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote today that the Halos “plan to interview” Hunter, Erstad, and Salmon, which would seem to run counter to the idea that the club has already moved onto its group of finalists.  Regardless, Showalter seems to be firmly in the mix, and his track record would seemingly give him some advantage in the race, as Roenicke is the only other candidate with past experience as a big league manager.

Buck Showalter is one of “several finalists” to be the Angels’ next manager, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (via X).  Reports have linked Showalter to Anaheim’s vacancy for almost a month, just a few days after the Mets announced that the veteran skipper wouldn’t be back in their dugout next season.  Morosi’s update would seemingly imply that the Angels have moved into at least a secondary stage of their search, though public details have been rather scarce to date about who exactly is on the list of candidates.

Beyond Showalter, such names as infield coodinator Benji Gil, former Brewers/Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke, and former Angels players like Torii Hunter, Darin Erstad, and Tim Salmon have all been mentioned as possible candidates for the manager’s job, though it isn’t clear how many proper interviews has taken place.  USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote today that the Halos “plan to interview” Hunter, Erstad, and Salmon, which would seem to run counter to the idea that the club has already moved onto its group of finalists.  Regardless, Showalter seems to be firmly in the mix, and his track record would seemingly give him some advantage in the race, as Roenicke is the only other candidate with past experience as a big league manager.

  • The Phillies announced that Cesar Ramos will be the team’s new bullpen coach for the 2024 season.  Ramos has working in the Phillies organization for the last four seasons, and was the pitching coach for Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate in 2022-23.  Ramos is best known for his eight-year pitching career with the Padres, Rays, Angels, and Rangers from 2009-16.
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