ANAHEIM — The Angels season ended on Sunday with a cliffhanger.
As the Angels were finishing off their season with a 7-3 victory over the Oakland A’s on Sunday afternoon, the focus turned to the club’s management.
Manager Phil Nevin has no contract for next season. Although general manager Perry Minasian does have one year left on his deal, it’s uncertain whether he will return.
The Angels typically schedule a press conference with the general manager for the day after the regular season, but nothing was scheduled as of Sunday afternoon.
Obviously, all options are on the table because the Angels had another disappointing season, finishing 73-89. It was the exact same record as they had last year.
“I know it didn’t go the way we want it, but I’m proud of the way that room held together,” Nevin said after Sunday’s game. “But it wasn’t fun. It’s not fun ending the way we did, but it was a great group in there. There’s a lot of good things that are on the on the horizon here if you will, the young players with guys coming back. Good future.”
Nevin, 52, has a 119-149 record since taking over when Joe Maddon was fired in June 2022. Although the results have been disappointing, players have consistently praised the manager’s work.
“Phil’s great,” right-hander Griffin Canning said. “I love him. He’s a player’s coach for sure. Stands up for his guys and does the right thing. So it’s fun to play for him.”
Left-hander Reid Detmers agreed.
“He was awesome,” Detmers said. “Very personable. You can talk to him about anything. He’s straight up with you, which I love. He’ll tell you how it is. And that’s what I think that’s what players need. He’ll tell you if you’re doing bad and he’ll tell you if you’re doing good. That’s more of a trust thing. Nev was awesome. Couldn’t ask for a better manager.”
Those compliments aside, everyone understands this is a results-based industry, and the results have been poor for years.
The Angels have now had eight straight losing seasons, and nine straight seasons without reaching the postseason.
The Angels had high hopes for this season because the pitching ranked in the top third of the majors last year, and they added depth to the offense over the winter.
At the season’s midpoint, the Angels were 44-37, and in the thick of the postseason chase. The Angels still had a realistic chance at reaching the playoffs when the trade deadline hit, but then they collapsed in August, leaving them to play out the string in September.
Injuries were a major part of the story — although Nevin said before the game that he wouldn’t use that as an excuse — as was the underperformance of players throughout the roster.
“It’s been a trying year,” Nevin said before the game. “It was fun for a little while there. Almost three months into the season and you’re still in the middle of it and you can see some good things happening. I think there’s a lot of reasons that happened this year. We certainly could be having a different conversation right now and getting ready to play next week. And unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
“This game is extremely difficult. We have a lot of young players that are learning and at a rapid pace. We’re all going to spend this winter trying to get better and come back and give them a better product.”