The Anaheim Angels are hiring long-time former major league catcher Kurt Suzuki as their new manager, per multiple reports. Suzuki has been a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian the past
three years, meaning both A.L. West teams who have made managerial changes this month have replaced their 70-something year old veteran managers with 40-something former players who were front office special assistants for the team that made them the new manager.
Suzuki, who just turned 42 this month, was a second round pick of the Oakland A’s back in 2004, and spent the first five-plus years of his major league career with the A’s. Weirdly, he was traded in August, 2012, to the Washington Nationals for David Freitas, and then the Nationals traded him back to Oakland in August, 2013, for Dakota Bacus.
Suzuki spent time with the Twins, the Braves, and then again with the Nationals before spending his final two seasons (2021-22) with the Angels. During spring training in 2023 he took on the special assistant to the general manager role with the Angels that he held until, well, now.
The Angels had been in negotiations with Albert Pujols to be the team’s manager, though that fell apart, reportedly over disputes regarding money and control.
