A day after the Angels decided that Phil Nevin wasn’t the manager to lead them in 2024, Perry Minasian was quick to say that the organization’s failure wasn’t because of Nevin.
“In sports, when you have certain expectations and you don’t meet those expectations, there are changes,” the Angels’ general manager said Tuesday. “By no means does that mean Phil is to blame. He’s not. It’s all of us. Me first and foremost. I’ve got to do a better job putting the club together. I know that.”
The Angels went 73-89 for the second year in a row, a disappointing outcome that leaves them looking for a new manager.
“This year was not an easy year,” Minasian said. “I think anybody that followed us knows that we had a lot of downs, a few ups, but a lot of downs. It was really, really challenging and there’s not many other people I’d rather go through it with than Phil. Phil was great to go through it with. He’s somebody that’s got a bright future and somebody that we’ll miss. We appreciate everything that he did here.”
Although the manager position is officially open, there could be more changes. Minasian, who has one year left on his contract, said they will undergo an “autopsy” of the organization. They will evaluate everyone in the organization – from the coaches to the trainers to the support staff.
For now, he said they don’t even have a list yet of managerial candidates. He also said they don’t have any preference for what type of manager they want, either an experienced one or a first-time manager. He said he hasn’t even yet talked to the current coaches to know which ones might be candidates for the job.
There’s also no timeline.
“For me, it’s about making the right decision,” Minasian said. “We’re not going to rush in. We’re going to do the work like we always do with every decision we make, with no timeframe in mind.”
When the Angels do have a manager, they are likely to again try to win. While many believe that after seven consecutive losing seasons the Angels should undergo a full rebuild, that’s never been an option while Arte Moreno has owned the team.
Minasian said he hasn’t had specific talks with Moreno about the payroll or general direction of the 2024 team, but he has no reason to believe anything has changed.
“Since I’ve walked in the door, it’s always been about winning here and trying to find a way to win and put a competitive team on the field for the fan base,” Minasian said. “That’s something that I don’t believe will change.”
That fan base is no doubt skeptical. When asked what he would say to those frustrated fans, Minasian simply promised he’d do all he could to achieve better results.
“I’m not one for words,” Minasian said. “It’s more actions for me than it is words. We’re gonna get to work, and we’re going to do everything in our power to put together a really good club that can compete in a really tough division. That’s something we’ll work tirelessly on.
“This is an outstanding fan base. I’ve said this since Day One. When I took this job, people said this is a great fan base. Being here and hearing it, feeling it and being around it. It absolutely is a passionate fan base that’s dying to win. And I know that. And when you do these jobs, when you’re in this position, you’re working for the fans too.”
Bringing back Shohei Ohtani would please many of those fans. Although most in the baseball world expect Ohtani to sign elsewhere after he becomes a free agent next month, Minasian reiterated that the Angels want to keep him. Minasian said he and Ohtani had a “one-on-one” conversation Saturday.
“I believe this is a place that he’s enjoyed playing and this is a place that he loves and it’s got a group of players, teammates that he enjoyed his time with,” Minasian said. “Is he disappointed we didn’t win? Absolutely. Everybody is.
“I’ve had conversations with numerous players throughout the year, going through April, going through May, going through June, going into July, right around the trade deadline. There was a lot of confidence in this club, both from a front-office perspective and a player perspective. And having those conversations with guys like Shohei and Mike (Trout) and Anthony (Rendon) and some of the other players too. You get the feeling that this is a place that (Ohtani) really, really appreciates, respects. And we’ll just have to see what happens over the course of the offseason.”
NOTES
Right-hander Sam Bachman underwent an arthroscopic “clean up” on his shoulder, Minasian said. He is expected to be ready for spring training. Bachman, 24, had a 3.11 ERA in 17 innings in the majors this season. …
Right-hander Chris Rodriguez had a setback in September because of a back issue. Rodriguez battled back problems throughout his minor-league career, and he was finally healthy enough to reach the majors in 2021. In August 2021, he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery that kept him out until 2023. He had made it all the back to pitch in Triple-A late this season before the back issues returned. “It’s something he’ll continue to rehab with, and we’ll see how it goes,” Minasian said. …
Minasian said the Angels are comfortable using a five-man rotation next year, but won’t settle on that until they know exactly which pitchers are on the roster. “It’s something we’ve talked about at length,” Minasian said. “We feel the arms we have in-house can handle it.” Ohtani’s presence was one of the main reasons the Angels have used a six-man rotation for the past few years. Even if Ohtani re-signs, he won’t be able to pitch in 2024 because of his elbow surgery. …
Minasian said he still doesn’t know if the Angels made it under the luxury tax threshold in 2023. The Angels were close, and the final calculations are done by Major League Baseball. Minasian said he will “have that information hopefully soon.”