ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have fired general manager Perry Minasian midway through their sixth consecutive disappointing season under his leadership.
The last-place Angels appointed former Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to be their interim general manager and baseball operations consultant on Friday. Mozeliak will oversee day-to-day baseball operations while assisting the search for the next GM, team president Molly Jolly said in a news
release.
“Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” Jolly said. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”
Minasian took over the Angels' front office in November 2020, but the long-struggling franchise has made no discernible progress during his tenure under mercurial owner Arte Moreno.
Los Angeles' streaks of 10 straight losing seasons and 11 straight non-playoff seasons are both the longest in the majors, and its farm system is still considered to be among the majors' worst, just as it was when Minasian arrived. The biggest transaction of his tenure occurred when Shohei Ohtani left the Angels after six seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers in late 2023.
After holding the majors' worst record for much of the current season, the Angels are tied for last in the AL standings at 34-48 heading into their game against the Athletics on Friday night at Angel Stadium. Los Angeles lost a franchise-record 99 games in 2024, its first season after losing two-time AL MVP Ohtani.
The Angels never won more than 77 games or finished higher than third in the AL West during Minasian's tenure.
Minasian clashed with respected manager Joe Maddon early in his tenure, eventually leading to Maddon's firing amid an epic losing streak in the 2022 season. After Phil Nevin and Ron Washington also failed to hold the managerial job for more than two seasons, Minasian hired first-time manager Kurt Suzuki from his own front-office staff last fall, giving him a one-year deal with the acknowledgment that their fates were tied.
Minasian is a former Rangers clubhouse attendant who rose to positions in the front offices of the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays as a protege of Alex Anthopoulos.
Minasian had never interviewed for a GM job before he was chosen to replace Billy Eppler by Moreno, who has repeatedly hired GMs with little to no prior experience in the job during his two decades of ownership.
Mozeliak left the Cardinals last fall after three decades with St. Louis, including the past 18 in charge of baseball operations.
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