ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have fired manager Kurt Suzuki after losing 100 games in his lone season at the helm of the struggling club.
Baseball operations consultant John Mozeliak announced Wednesday that the Angels had declined the option on Suzuki’s contract and would open a search for a new manager in 2027. Suzuki was offered the opportunity to remain with the organization as a special assistant.
“Kurt has earned tremendous respect in our clubhouse and I have seen firsthand how much he cares about our players,” Mozeliak said in a statement. “I don’t think our record this year is an accurate reflection of his true abilities as a manager.”
Mozeliak said he made the decision in coordination with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which reached an agreement to purchase majority ownership of Arte Moreno on September 1. The sale isn’t expected to close until next year, but the sports conglomerate led by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is already making significant changes to its beleaguered baseball team.
The Angels went 62-100 — the first 100-loss season in franchise history — and finished last in the AL West in their only season under Suzuki, who ended his 16-year major league career as a catcher for the Angels in 2021-22. Suzuki had never been a manager at any level before being given the position by general manager Perry Minasian, who had employed Suzuki as a special assistant for the previous three seasons.
Minasian was fired by Moreno last Juneand longtime St. Louis Cardinals general manager Mozeliak stepped in temporarily to run the front office while leading the search for a permanent general manager to replace him. That transition plan was upended by Moreno’s decision to sell, and Mozeliak did not indicate whether he had a long-term future in his own job, although he said he was looking “towards 2027 and beyond” before making the decision to fire Suzuki.
Mozeliak also indicated that Suzuki’s entire coaching staff is not expected to return to their current positions, but that some members have been offered positions within the organization.
Mozeliak has already fired Suzuki pitching coach Mike Maddux, and two staff members in August because he felt the team was not sufficiently utilizing the technology and analytics available to its pitchers. Mozeliak promoted Tim Leveque, the Angels’ Double-A pitching coach, to the major league staff at the time.
Suzuki’s replacement will be the seventh manager, including interim, to lead the team in nine seasons since it parted ways with Mike Scioscia after the 2018 season. The Angels have had 11 straight losing seasons and 12 straight non-playoff seasons, the two longest active skids in the major leagues.
The Angels now have the third-largest managerial vacancy in MLB, all in the AL West. The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros also parted ways with their managers after the season.
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