Their manager was informed he would not be brought back next season. Their fan base 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 only until the end of the World Series.
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. Minasian spoke to the other coaches, letting them know about the decision and that he would speak to them again later in the week, after 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 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, Minasian offered that it was a collaborative one and decided after conversations following the final game of the season Sunday and again Monday morning.
Minasian did not have a timeline for filling the position or say what type of manager he would look for. He expected there would be “a large amount of candidates” but did not have a list yet.
Very little offseason planning has happened with the Angels two days removed from their eighth consecutive losing season. For now, though, it seems a rebuild is not on the horizon, and the Angels will continue to try to compete for the playoffs.
“That’s always been the goal,” said Minasian, who has one more year on his contract. “We haven’t had those conversations as far as payroll goes and where we’re going and who we’re going to go after and so on.
“But with that being said, 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 and that’s something that I don’t believe will change.”
Among the items on Minasian’s list is reviewing the roster to see who fits and how. Another will be evaluating the medical and training staff. The Angels suffered a number of freak injuries this season — like Taylor Ward‘s facial fractures after taking a pitch to the face and Gio Urshela fracturing his pelvis while trying to outrun a throw to first base. But they will see what they can do to prevent the muscle and soft-tissue injuries that also plagued the club.
Minasian also put an emphasis on the returns to health of injured stars Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.
“When we were healthy we were a pretty competitive club,” Minasian said. “There’s no secret there. We need Mike Trout, we need Anthony Rendon, we need those guys to play more and they know that.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about and they’re gonna go into the offseason and they’re going to do everything they can in their power to be ready to go for next year.”