Ken Rosenthal Calls It: Angels Likely to Fire GM and Manager Once the Season Ends

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic isn’t mincing words about the Los Angeles Angels. He’s predicting that owner Arte Moreno will fire general manager Perry Minasian and manager Kurt Suzuki after this season wraps up. Rosenthal wrote that the moves would be about saving money too, since replacements wouldn’t be named until after the lockout. That’s a pretty blunt assessment for a team that’s somehow managed to stay out of the playoffs every single year since 2014.

It’s weird. Minasian has lasted six seasons despite the Halos never making a real postseason push during that stretch. They’ve botched the trade deadline repeatedly and never committed to a proper rebuild. Other teams like the Chicago White Sox went through the painful process of tearing it all down and now they’re actually seeing results. The Angels? They’re just stuck. Stuck in some kind of never-ending cycle of mediocre baseball and questionable front office decisions.

What’s Going Wrong in Anaheim

Rosenthal pointed out that it’s hard to tell how much interference Moreno has had in Minasian’s ability to actually do his job. But he also noted that Minasian hasn’t drafted well. The farm system is still struggling. And the Angels have this habit of shifting pitchers and players between roles without any real plan. It’s like they’re throwing stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks. Spoiler: it hasn’t.

There have been moments where the team looked like they might turn things around. A few bright spots here and there. But it hasn’t been enough to change the culture. And with the Angels probably missing the playoffs again this season, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency to change anything. That’s the frustrating part for fans. You watch other teams go through their rebuilds and come out stronger. The Angels just keep spinning their wheels.

If Moreno does actually fire Minasian and Suzuki, the next people walking into those jobs are going to have to be careful. Really careful. They’re walking into a situation with a lot of history and a lot of pressure. But also a roster that has some genuine talent. It’s just a matter of whether anyone can actually make it work.

Rosenthal’s prediction feels like the kind of thing that’s been hanging in the air for a while now. The question is whether Moreno actually follows through this time.