The Angels entered their offseason in a state of flux after a second straight 73-89 finish.
Their manager was informed he would not be brought back for the 2024 season. Their fanbase was left frustrated and exhausted by the ineptitude of the last several years. And their two-way star, Shohei Ohtani, is on an expiring deal, a member of the Angels a technicality until he decides what he wants to do.
General manager Perry Minasian, speaking to members of the media over Zoom on Tuesday, answered what he could.
Minasian confirmed that, for now, only Phil Nevin would not be returning in his role as the team’s manager. Minasian spoke to the other coaches, letting them know about the decision on Nevin and that he would speak to them again later in the week. During that timespan, Minasian plans to do a full examination of the organization to determine what next changes to make.
Minasian spoke highly of Nevin. He said that although the Angels did not win enough games, it was not Nevin’s fault and the decision not to bring him back in 2024 made Monday a tough day.
“In sports, when you have certain expectations and you don’t meet those expectations, there are changes,” Minasian said. “By no means does that mean Phil is to blame. … It’s all of us.
“The GM-manager position is such an important relationship. This year was not an easy year … it was really really challenging and there’s not many other people I’d rather go through it with than Phil.”
Asked whether it was his decision or owner Arte Moreno’s decision not to bring Nevin back, Minasian offered that it was a collaborative one. Minasian said ownership is typically involved with any decision made on any team and that the decision on the manager position was decided after conversations the evening after the final game of the season on Sunday and again on Monday morning.
The manager vacancy being so new, Minasian said he did not necessarily have a timeline on when he wanted the position to be filled or what type of manager he would be looking for. He expected there would be “a large amount of candidates” interested in the job, but did not have a list of candidates just yet.
