Kurt SuzukiThe Angels’ captaincy will only last one season. The team announced Wednesday that it had declined a club option on Suzuki for 2027 and would begin the search for a new manager and coaching staff. Suzuki has been offered a role to remain with the organization as a special assistant, interim general manager John Mozeliak announced in a prepared statement.
“Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse and I have seen firsthand how much he cares about our players,” Mozeliak said in his statement released today. “I do not believe our record this year is an accurate reflection of his abilities as a manager. I am pleased that we were able to offer Kurt a special assistant role, where his knowledge of our players and his perspective would continue to be valuable to the organization. I would also like to thank the entire coaching staff for their professionalism and hard work throughout a very difficult season. We appreciate their expertise and have offered certain staff members positions within the organization.”
Although the organization has so far remained tight-lipped on Suzuki’s future, it is the most frequently speculated outcome. Suzuki’s hiring as a rookie manager on a one-year contract was already highly unusual, and the June firing of general manager Perry Minasian (followed by the hiring of Mozeliak on an interim basis) was a clear sign of broader change on the horizon. This was evident even before longtime owner Arte Moreno’s stunning and unexpected announcement that he had agreed to sell the team to billionaire Stan Kroenke a few months later.
With Kroenke taking the reins of the team, the Angels are now looking not only for a more permanent fixture to run baseball operations — whether it’s Mozeliak or an outside hire — but also an entirely new dugout staff. Presumably, appointing a new president of baseball operations or general manager will be the first order of business, and that person will then find a new manager, who will then work with baseball operations to recruit new staff.
There is at least one internal candidate worth highlighting: future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, who is a special assistant in the baseball operations department. The former Angels and Cardinals slugger interviewed for managerial openings with the Halos and Padres last offseason. San Diego ultimately settled on another rookie skipper, Craig Stammen.
Pujols withdrew from the race for the vacant Angels job after he and owner Arte Moreno were reportedly unable to agree on years and dollars. Now, under new ownership who is likely more willing to invest in all facets of the organization, it’s possible Pujols will get a different look. Kroenke, it should be noted (even if only anecdotally), has ties to St. Louis before the Rams moved west to Los Angeles. Mozeliak, of course, also spent decades in the Cardinals organization.
Suzuki was also a special assistant with the Angels before being named captain last offseason. The Angels stumbled to a 62-100 record in his lone year on the job, although that reflects much more on the roster he was handed than Suzuki himself. The Halos have lost at least 89 games in each of the last five seasons and haven’t had a winning record since 2015, in part because of the hands-on nature and now-former owner Moreno’s outsized role in baseball operations. Suzuki isn’t entirely without fault, but no manager was going to guide this team to a respectable record – much less a playoff berth.
During his 16-year playing career, Suzuki played for five different teams and was often one of the club’s favorites. The former wide receiver’s status as a recently retired player with a year of management under his belt should position him well for future coaching and/or management opportunities should he wish to continue down this path in future seasons.
Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register first reported that Suzuki would not be brought back as manager but had been offered a new role within the organization.
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