Former MLB All-Star Kurt Suzuki is moving from the Los Angeles Angels front office to the dugout.
Suzuki was named the next manager for the Angels on Tuesday:
Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network first reported the news.
Sam Blum of The Athletic reported the Angels gave Suzuki a one-year deal:
This news comes one day after it was reported that Albert Pujols and the Angels had ended talks. Blum previously reported the two sides were not able to get “close” on money and years for a potential contract prior to ending talks.
Suzuki, 42, had a 16-year playing career from 2007 to ’22. He was originally drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2004 and played for five different teams during his MLB tenure, winning a World Series with the 2019 Washington Nationals.
Since his playing career ended in after the 2022 season, Suzuki has been cutting his teeth in the Angels front office as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian.
The Angels were among the teams that Suzuki played for, spending his final two years with the team from 2021 to ’22. He made the All-Star team in 2014 with the Minnesota Twins.
It’s going to take time before the Angels are competing for a playoff spot again, but they have started to find some quality young players they can build around. Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel are both under 25 years old and have played well since arriving in the big leagues in 2023.
After the Angels wrapped up a 72-90 record in 2025, the club announced on Sept. 30 that Ron Washington would not be returning as manager. Washington missed the final three months of the season after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery on June 30.
Ray Montgomery, who served as interim manager in Washington’s absence, was also not brought back.
Suzuki has a familiarity with the Angels organization and owner Arte Moreno that should serve him well in this new role, but there are a lot of holes that need to be filled before they can return to respectability in the AL West.
Their pitching staff featured three starters who were at least 34 years old. MLB.com ranked the Angels’ farm system as the fourth-worst in the league, with just two top-100 prospects.
This is a job that will require patience because there are a lot of things within the fabric of the organization that need changed before the Angels can realistically become a playoff contender again.
Suzuki’s cache throughout the league generally and within the Angels organization specifically should afford him the time to show what he can do while they front office continues to build up the farm system.
The Angels have had 10 consecutive losing seasons with just one playoff appearance since 2010. Their last win in a playoff game was Game 5 of the 2009 ALCS against the New York Yankees, two years before Mike Trout made his MLB debut.
