ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — John Mozeliak has a lengthy to-do list as interim general manager for the Los Angeles Angels, but the hiring of a new manager to replace Kurt Suzuki is not among his priorities.
“I met with Kurt and most of (the coaches) this morning, and I told them they’re all fine for this year,” Mozeliak, the former St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball operations head, said at a news conference before Saturday night’s game against the Athletics.
“There’s nothing they have to worry about. … They all have jobs moving forward. There’s no reason for massive change right away.”
As for the rest of his agenda, which includes transforming a club that has suffered 10 straight losing seasons and entered Saturday with an American League-worst 34-39 record into a winner, Mozeliak plans to dive right in.
“There’s a short view and a long view, and the short view is going to be coming through the draft, addressing the trade deadline, finding another new general manager,” Mozeliak said. “And then, ultimately, hopefully, we lead to that foundation and structure that provides perpetual winning for the Angels.”
Mozeliak, who replaced the fired Perry Minasian on Friday, said he will have a limited role in a July 11-12 draft in which the Angels have the 12th overall pick, leaving the selections to scouting director Tim McIlvaine.
“My philosophy on the draft is, let the scouting director and his team do their jobs,” Mozeliak said. “Even when I sat in the GM seat for 18 years, I never scouted amateur players. I felt that was their responsibility. So they’re going to have a lot of autonomy to do it.
“The only real input I’m gonna have is understanding their process … and if there are some financial decisions that are being baked into who we pick and why.”
Mozeliak said he has not received any direction from owner Arte Moreno or team president Molly Jolly on whether the Angels should embark on a rebuilding process by trading valuable pieces such as pitchers Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano and outfielder Jo Adell.
USA Today reported last week that Moreno prefers to retain those players.
“In time, I think we will come up with a trade-deadline strategy that we are all comfortable with, from ownership to Molly,” Mozeliak said. “And my job will be to help execute it.”
Mozeliak said he has already formed a list of GM candidates and will begin seeking permission from teams to interview them after the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
He hopes to have a new GM in place well before his contract expires in December, though he didn’t completely rule out the possibility of remaining with the Angels longer.
“When my contract ends, depending on who ends up getting hired, what the team looks like, there could be a position or a role that makes sense for me to stay around. … But on a personal level, I’m just not ready to give away my life again for, you know, 80 hours a week, 100 hours a week, to just do baseball,” he said.
Mozeliak spent 30 years with the Cardinals, including his final 18 seasons leading baseball operations. Under his guidance, St. Louis reached the postseason 10 times, won six National League Central Division titles, captured two NL pennants and won the 2011 World Series.
He joined the Cardinals in 1996 as an assistant in the scouting department and quickly rose through the organization, serving as an assistant scouting director, scouting director, director of baseball operations, assistant GM, GM and president of baseball operations.
He helped build one of baseball’s better farm systems, producing several franchise cornerstones and future Hall of Famers, including three-time National League most valuable player Albert Pujols; 10-time All-Star Yadier Molina; and three-time All-Star Adam Wainwright.
Minasian’s firing, announced before Friday night’s 9-3 loss to the Athletics, ended his 5 1/2-year run as GM, which included the departure of Shohei Ohtani after 2023, the firing of three managers — Joe Maddon, Phil Nevin and Ron Washington — and a number of failed free-agent signings, including David Fletcher (five years, $26 million) and Robert Stephenson (three years, $33-million).
Minasian, 46, was unable to stem a streak of losing seasons or drastically improve a farm system that is considered to be among the majors’ worst.
The Angels went 392-500 under Minasian, the 13th GM in franchise history. They never finished with more than 77 wins or finished higher than third place in the AL West. They lost a franchise-record 99 games in 2024.
Moreno, who has often meddled in baseball decisions and been reluctant to spend aggressively for free agents in recent years, is notoriously difficult to work for. He raised the ire of Angels fans this spring when he claimed that, according to surveys, affordability was more of a priority for fans than winning.
Sections of Angel Stadium have been filled in recent weeks with shirtless fans imploring Moreno to sell the team.
“I know what’s happening. I see it. I hear it,” Jolly said. “Fans have a right to have their voices be heard. It didn’t influence the decision that I wanted to make, but we all want to win. Our owner wants to win. I do. The fans deserve that, and that’s what we’re going to work toward. “
Mozeliak said he is looking forward to building a relationship with the mercurial owner.
“My job is to have a healthy relationship with him, and I think the short term focus for me is just, what does that communication line look like, and making sure he understands what our direction is,” Mozeliak said.
“I haven’t met Mr. Moreno (since taking the Angels job) but I can tell you this — he does care. He does want to win … I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t think he truly loved this team and cared about this city and wanted this to work.”
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